History is philosophy teaching by examples.
Market mechanisms, rather than a governmental monopoly of power, provided the incentives to cooperate and maintain order. Every Icelander was attached to a Chieftain, either directly, by being an Assemblyman, or indirectly, by belonging to a household headed by an Assemblyman. Hence competition among Chieftains served to keep them in line. Disputes were resolved either through private arbitration or through the court system administered by the General Assembly. This served to prevent the powerful from preying on the weak.