The Right to Ignore the State
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About this book
Consent, taxation and the limits of majority rule drive Herbert Spencer's argument for voluntary withdrawal from government. Starting from a principle of equal freedom, he claims that individuals may refuse the state's protection and financial demands, provided they respect the liberty of others. He treats government as an agent whose authority depends on those who employ it, then tests whether a majority can rightly impose its will on a dissenting minority.
This pamphlet reprints a chapter from the 1850 edition of Social Statics. Its editorial note points out that Spencer omitted the chapter from his revised edition of 1892. Within the argument, religious dissent supplies a comparison for civil liberty: freedom of worship and freedom in other affairs rest on the same principle. Readers interested in individualism and political obligation will find a concentrated case for consent as the basis of public authority.
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Book facts
- Author
- Herbert Spencer
- Reading time
- About 20 minutes
- Genre
- Political Philosophy
- Formats
- PDF, EPUB, Read online