I loved the discussion you guys had with the lefty radio host a few days ago. During the discussion, Dr Knows Whats Best mentioned something like..."there is no evidence that society can exist without monopolist government."
While its been a long time since I've read rebuttals to this criticism, one of the responses I remember finding interesting is that at one point in time there was no evidence that a large prosperous society could exist without a king/queen. Think about it from their pre-democracy perspective.....how in the world can society function without a central ruler who can make all decisions? If people could vote, wouldn't all of the competing interests create complete chaos that would result in the utter destruction of civilization itself? Wouldn't all of the laws change every election? And aren't people too stupid to pick the correct ruler?
And since most of the people who argue against liberty are huge fans of "democracy," you can remind them that their beloved institution took thousands and thousands of years to blossom.
Plus, people said the same stuff about abolition. "We have always had slaves. How could we have a functioning economy, peace & tranquility, and the rule of law without slavery? I mean, its in the bible isn't it?" Again, same argument.
As Roderick Long once said on this very topic, "The night is young." (Meaning, modern civilization is brand new and human beings have a long future ahead were social structures can change.)