[alanwatts]

>Rules are necessary to create a level playing field when power distributions are asymmetric.

It's a Catch-22 when the rules (laws written on paper) were what made the power distributions so greatly asymmetric in the first place.

This is quite obvious when studying tribal cultures as compared to civilized cultures. It's also worth noting the inherent distributed organizational design of tribal cultures as compared to the inherently centralized design of civilized cultures.

>Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we didn't have any delinquents. Without a prison, there can't be no delinquents. We had no locks nor keys therefore among us there were no thieves. When someone was so poor that he couldn't afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift. We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property. We didn't know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being was not determined by his wealth. We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians, therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another. We were really in bad shape before the white man arrived and I don't know how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society.

-Lame Deer

[lifeisstillgood]

Anthropology long ago over turned the "noble savage living in peace" idea that you seem to be promoting here - violence, rape and theft were and are common - even look at chimpanzees our closest cousins. Power law distributions of wealth come from economics, and laws are there to enforce our human understanding of fairness against our human nature of selfishness and greed.

[alanwatts]

Violence and waging war is/was commonly considered an honorable deed by many tribal cultures.

Pathological inequality is not.

>laws are there to enforce our human understanding of fairness against our human nature of selfishness and greed.

The fallacy of this statement is that laws are just words in paper which have no power to enforce itself.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

[lifeisstillgood]

Violence and war are unequal - the strong (and male) take from the weak the old the young and the nursing. Laws are a compact between the strong and the rest, that with defence from the strong we will get peace and sharing and status. Status is the coinage society bribes the strong to prevent them just taking all they want. At some point society manages to produce through peace and trade more than could be stolen and the deal becomes profitable for both sides.

And different guards guard each other. Balance of power etc