Respect for law is the cornerstone on which the modern political structure has been formed. The argument in support of the rule of law asserts both the possibility and the benefit of a government by means of a widely accepted rational administration of norms. (Mazor 143) "Absent the reciprocal relation of the rule of law by government on the one hand and respect for law by the citizenry on the other, the state would owe its continued existence only to force, and this is seen to be both perilous and costly. Not at least of these costs is loss of liberty (Mazor 143)"
However, Goldman views the institution of law to obstruct liberty: "…Governments (and the law) ordain, judge, condemn, and punish the most insignificant offenses, while maintaining themselves by the greatest of all offenses, the annihilation of individual liberty" (Goldman. Anarchy: What it Really Stands For). Goldman believes that government and the institution of law denies freedom, represses individuality, and maintains the institution of property (Mazor 143).
The rationale of Goldman's condemnation of law is rooted in two elements of her theory: Goldman believes that human nature is such that law is unnecessary to maintain order. Second, Goldman believes that government and property necessitate law and thus without government and property, law is unnecessary.
Please see Anarchism and Human Nature for an explanation of Goldman's perception of Human Nature. Goldman believes that human nature will evolve so that humans will act cooperatively instead of competitively under certain conditions.
Goldman believes that law imposes the barriers that it is intended to overcome. The institutions of property and government necessitate law. Without these institutions, man will no longer have material motivations that will drive him to break the law. Thus, law exists to serve the institutions of property and government and is unecessary if the institutions of property and government cease to exist as Goldman proposes (Mazor 143).
Much like Goldman's perception of human nature, her theory of a lawless society is theory that has yet to be successfully practiced.
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