Against the State

Crispin Sartwell

Description

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.
acknowledgments

part I. preliminaries

introduction

1. some definitions

part II. the legitimacy of the state

2. social contract

3. utilitarian justifications of state power

4. justicial justifications of state power

part III. toward something else

5. silhouette of an anarchism

notes
index

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 07 février 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791478356
• Langue: English

Extrait

a g a i n s t

t h e

s t a t e

This page intentionally left blank.

c r i s p i n s a r t w e l l

ag a i n s t t h e s t a te an introduction to anarchist political theory

s t a t e u n i v e r s i t y o f n e w y o r k p r e s s

P u b l i s h e d b y

State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2 0 0 8 S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k

All rights reserved

P r i n t e d i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s o f A m e r i c a

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, contact S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k P r e s s , A l b a n y, N Y www.sunypress.edu

P r o d u c t i o n , b o o k d e s i g n , L a u r i e S e a r l M a r k e t i n g , M i c h a e l C a m p o c h i a r o

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Sartwell, Crispin, 1958– Against the state : an introduction to anarchist political theory / Crispin Sartwell. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 9780791474471 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 9780791474488 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Anarchism. I. Title.

HX833.S27 2008 320.5'7—dc22

2007033815

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For my children—

Emma Sartwell, Hayes Winik, Vince Winik,

Sam Sartwell, and Jane Winik Sartwell—

in the hope that they will someday

live in a freer world.

This page intentionally left blank.

There cannot exist good laws where there are no good armies.

Machiavelli,The Prince

Force shites upon reason’s back.

Benjamin Franklin,Poor Richard’s Almanac

This page intentionally left blank.

1

2

3

4

5

c o n t e n t s

acknowledgments

part I preliminaries

introduction

some definitions

part II the legitimacy of the state

social contract

utilitarian justifications of state power

justicial justifications of state power

part III toward something else

silhouette of an anarchism

notes

index

xi

3

17

39

61

75

99

117

121