Against the state : an introduction to anarchist political theory / Crispin Sartwell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sartwell, Crispin, 1958-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Anarchism.

Physical Description:

xi, 124 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [2008]

Summary:

In Against the State, Crispin Sartwell unleashes a quick and brutal rejection of the traditional arguments for state legitimacy. Sartwell considers the classics of Western political philosophy-Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Hume, Bentham, Rawls, and Habermas, among others-and argues that their positions are not only wrong but also embarrassingly bad. He separates the traditional pro-state arguments into three classes: social contract theories, utilitarian justifications, and justicial views, all while attacking both general strategies and particular formulations. Sartwell argues that the state rests on nothing but deadly force and its accompanying coercion, and that no one is under any obligation to obey the law merely because it is the law. He concludes by articulating a positive vision of an anarchist future, based on the "individualism" of such figures as Emerson and Thoreau. Against the State provides a rigorous and provocative foil to the classic texts, and also serves as a concise statement of the anarchist challenge.

Contents:

Some definitions

Social contract

Utilitarian justifications of state power

Justicial justifications of state power

Silhouette of an anarchism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 117-120) and index.

ISBN:

9780791474488

0791474488

9780791474471

079147447X

OCLC:

165478804