Ethics and morals aren’t the same.  Ethics are universal, morals are personal.  Ethics govern the form action must take—never violating another’s property.  Morals describe the content of what an individual values.  Yet the statists dismiss this difference.  They believe others value the “wrong” things, so decisions must be outsourced to someone more “moral.” Once this premise is accepted, there is no limiting principle.

A person may be considered immoral, but somehow his vote becomes moral.  Very strange.  To whom are these choices being outsourced?  Another human.  Are these humans different in kind?  They aren’t.  They hold their own valuations.  They have their own preferences.  Morals exist only in the eye of the actor.  This doesn’t mean every action will be right, but it does mean all humans will err.

Once choices can be outsourced, anything can be justified.  Any state can become totalitarian.  This is the claim that Friday may dictate what Crusoe values.  Would Crusoe willingly hand his decisions to Friday?  Highly unlikely.  What if Friday demands that Crusoe outsource them because he is more moral?  The structure changes, but the logic remains: someone else must decide for you, by vote or by decree.

In both cases, Friday becomes the dictator—even if Crusoe “chose” him.  Friday’s job is to enforce morality.  Morality can’t be enforced.  You can’t force freedom on another.  Coercion violates ethics, and ethics are foundational.  Morals must conform to ethics, not override them.  Outsourcing choices, even in the name of greater morality, is itself immoral.  It’s a contradiction.

Assume no contradiction for a moment.  How are these morals to be enforced?  Crusoe and Friday will eventually diverge on what must be done.  One values one path, the other another.  Friday must use violence to get Crusoe to comply.  Then the conflict is exposed: Crusoe values survival, Friday values control.  Their values collide.  They must collide.  When morals override ethics, conflict is guaranteed.

Reference

Murray Rothbard; Power & Market