Do we need government?

After Tim Evans's great speech on private policing at our Next Generation event on Wednesday, I came across the video above, which goes into more detail than Tim had time for. Ed Stringham argues that government might not be necessary even for the "night watchman" roles that most assume it is required to play. Is government the only agency that can provide law enforcement? Stringham says "no", lucidly and engagingly.

I anticipate some negative reactions to my posting this video. Even many liberals and "minarchist" libertarians find anarcho-capitalist ideas frustratingly utopian and a distraction from the challenges of the real world. I can sympathise, but I think it's also important to take nothing the state does for granted. I could be (and, honestly, I probably am) persuaded that we need some kind of Leviathan state to minimise violence, but I don't see why we should assume that.