The Law - Read Jim Fulner

1 MP3-CD

Published Dec. 20, 2012 by Blackstone Pub.

ISBN:: 978-1-4708-2793-9

The law is the organization of the natural right of lawful defense; it is the substitution of collective for individual forces, for the purpose of acting in the sphere in which they have a right to act, of doing what they have a right to do, to secure persons, liberties, and properties, and to maintain each in its right, so as to cause justice to reign over all. It is with these words that the nineteenth-century French economist and statesman Frédéric Bastiat describes his theory of the individual rights of man in a classic refutation of the communist ideas that were sweeping across France at the time. In these pages, Bastiat affirms that the non-intervention of the State in private affairs gives rise to our wants and their satisfactions developing in their natural order. Problems arise when the law leaves its proper sphere and is employed in annihilating that justice …

The law is the organization of the natural right of lawful defense; it is the substitution of collective for individual forces, for the purpose of acting in the sphere in which they have a right to act, of doing what they have a right to do, to secure persons, liberties, and properties, and to maintain each in its right, so as to cause justice to reign over all. It is with these words that the nineteenth-century French economist and statesman Frédéric Bastiat describes his theory of the individual rights of man in a classic refutation of the communist ideas that were sweeping across France at the time. In these pages, Bastiat affirms that the non-intervention of the State in private affairs gives rise to our wants and their satisfactions developing in their natural order. Problems arise when the law leaves its proper sphere and is employed in annihilating that justice which it should have established. He describes the threat of socialism as "philanthropic tyranny," the enemy to his revered principles of justice, peace, order, stability, harmony, and logic. In clear, concise prose, Bastiat reveals the dangers of government overreach, a philosophy that still inspires libertarian ideology today.

1 edition

JIm FUlner reviewed The Law by Frédéric Bastiat

2 stars

I was greatly greatly disappointed by this audio book. Like most writings of the 19th century I have read lately, this one was clearly written for an audience with a much larger attention span, and much more educated than the average 21st century American. I felt like Bastiat kept repeating the same thing over and over again. I'm not sure how much of this is true, and how much of this was the fact that I learned this particular MP3 CD exposed a bug in the radio in my VW. At one point, I learned, that my CD starts over at 27 minutes into the track regardless of where it left off. However, the fact it took several ignition cycles for me to figure this out indicates how uninteresting this book was. I had high hopes, I had friends indicate to me that this was the great Catholic Anarchinst novel. …

I was greatly greatly disappointed by this audio book. Like most writings of the 19th century I have read lately, this one was clearly written for an audience with a much larger attention span, and much more educated than the average 21st century American. I felt like Bastiat kept repeating the same thing over and over again. I'm not sure how much of this is true, and how much of this was the fact that I learned this particular MP3 CD exposed a bug in the radio in my VW. At one point, I learned, that my CD starts over at 27 minutes into the track regardless of where it left off. However, the fact it took several ignition cycles for me to figure this out indicates how uninteresting this book was. I had high hopes, I had friends indicate to me that this was the great Catholic Anarchinst novel. Bastiat i wouldn't take to be an anarchist after "reading" this and although he may be a Catholic, he didn't seem to be much of one either. I can some up this whole book as, the law is only valid if it protects individual rights, that what ever other libertarian says, nothing "new" here.