“The greatest danger to the State is independent intellectual criticism.”
—Murray N. Rothbard
The first month’s offering is Murray Rothbard’s Anatomy of the State. This is arguably the most radicalizing influence of all his books. It’s an easy read but cuts like a knife, dissecting myths about the state and exposing its inherent chaos and violence. Once you read it, you never think about the government the same way again.
We’re preparing for the release of Murray N. Rothbard: The Making of an Austrian Economist, an intellectual biography of Rothbard by Professors Joe Salerno and Patrick Newman, by giving away his most devastating critique of the state.
Rothbard starts by dispelling the idea that “we” are the government. This rhetorical diversion is used to convince the public that the state’s actions are merely an extension of the population’s wants and needs. But this is not the case, because if there were unanimity regarding an action, then state violence would not be necessary to carry it out. Even if a majority of the citizenry approves of expropriating a minority, it remains wrongful and involuntary expropriation.
The state, then, according to Rothbard, is “that organization in society which attempts to maintain a monopoly of the use of force and violence in a given territorial area; in particular, it is the only organization in society that obtains its revenue not by voluntary contribution or payment for services rendered but by coercion.”
The state flourishes via predation and expropriation. But no population would tolerate blatant and widespread theft. Thus, the state relies on intellectuals to persuade the public that the state’s crimes are not crimes and that the state not only is necessary but is a kind and benevolent institution. Rothbard notes that in modern times, these state intellectuals employ a scientific and technocratic mystique. Questioning the state means questioning the “experts”!
This is what led Rothbard to the conclusion quoted above: “The greatest danger to the State is independent intellectual criticism.” Liberty requires breaking free from the state’s propaganda. Reading Anatomy of the State has helped many people do just that.
Get your free copies today before May 31. And look for our next book offering on June 1.
