Rate this book

The Anatomy Of The State (LvMI) (1974)

by Murray N. Rothbard(Favorite Author)

4.39 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Ludwig von Mises Institute

review 1: In my opinion, this is one of Rothbard's better polemics. It has a satisfying brevity, mixed with an almost cathartic cruelty to every chapter. While an enjoyable read, by itself I'd level it as worse than useless, but supplemented with more of his writings I think it's great. I wouldn't say it's a problem really, but the nature of polemics or otherwise aggressive texts like this is that they're inherently reactionary, in that their entire existence is to negate some status quo or rival philosophy. This is fine enough, but like I said, alone, it's pretty much useless, because if you are influenced, it just creates a void. Still though, despite all this, it'll at least get your cerebral gears spinning, and considering different ideas, or maybe the same idea from a different... more point of view. I've drifted quite a bit from the fiery (and annoying) ancap I used to be, but I still maintain a certain appreciation and respect for Rothbard's philosophy and body of work. Maybe someday in my lifetime, ancap philosophy will be treated with a revival from another spiritual giant comparable to Rothbard, but until then, ancaps will have to content themselves to good 'ole Murray's bibliography and the Mises Institute perpetually copy-pasting Rothbard's work on their website.
review 2: Very good overview of anarchism (at least anarchism that supports capitalism). Some things I question is the assumption that exchange and the market are natural creations by free peoples, and not by the state. It goes over the idea of taxation as a means of supporting an elite class to maintain this extraction. What it does not address is the fact that markets may have been created by conquering forces to supply troops in hostile lands. Note the following:1) Conqueror area2) Pay troops in a currency (gold/silver...ect)3) Require conquered peoples to pay taxes to the conquered government in the form of gold/silver4) Markets form where the new incentive for gold of the populace is balanced by the need to eat and re-supply by the occupying troops.5) Exhaust natural resources for more gold/silver extraction and production.6) Rinse and repeat when you need to maintain/grow wealth and empire(See Debt: The first 5,000 years for further insight into this military industrial complex.) less

Download links for: The Anatomy of the State (LvMI)

Advertising