Not available to order
Publication date:
04 April 2008Length of book:
228 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781461647454
Jan Narveson asks the provocative, philosophical question: is the state necessary? In this unusual introduction to political philosophy, Narveson draws on the history of political philosophy and discusses its main theories_classic liberal, democratic, socialist, radical_with reference to how each sees the place of the individual in the political order. Narveson's critique is situated within issues of freedom, authority, economic welfare, international relations and others to explore how and whether the state is necessary. His argument is ultimately anti-statist and takes seriously the question of whether and how some version of anarchism might make sense.
Narveson offers a refreshingly straightforward introduction to the major schools of political philosophy in which he lays bare his own unvarnished opinions about the proper role of government in the lives of individuals. The animated journey through classical philosophical ideas and texts winds up at an unusual and intriguing destination few of us bother to seriously consider, but probably should: a state of no state that Narveson lauds as capitalist anarchism.