The Machinery of Freedom
Cover
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| Author | David D. Friedman |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Anarcho-capitalism |
| Publisher | Open Court Publishing Company |
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Publication date
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1973; 2nd edition 1989; 3rd edition 2014 |
| Media type | Paperback, Electronic |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 19388655 |
| 323.44 19 | |
| LC Class | JC585 .F76 1989 |
The Machinery of Freedom is a nonfiction book by David D. Friedman which advocates an anarcho-capitalist society from a utilitarian / consequentialist perspective. The book was published in 1973, with a second edition in 1989 and a third edition in 2014.
The book aims to show that law and its enforcement do not require a state, but can be sustained by non-coercive private enterprise and charity. It explores the consequences of libertarian thought, describes examples of stateless society (such as the Icelandic Commonwealth), and offers the author's personal statement about why he became a libertarian. Topics addressed in the book include polycentric law, and the provision of public goods (such as military defense) in a stateless society. Friedman argues that a stateless legal system would be beneficial for society as a whole, including the poor.
While some books supporting similar libertarian and anarcho-capitalist views offer evidence in terms of morality or natural rights, Friedman (although he explicitly denies being a utilitarian) here argues largely in terms of the effects of his proposed policies.
Friedman conjectures that anything done by government costs at least twice as much as a privately provided equivalent. He offers examples as evidence, such as a comparison of the cost of the U.S. Postal Service's costs for package delivery with the costs of private carriers and the cost of the Soviet government versus market based services in the West.
The Institute of Public Affairs, a libertarian think tank located in Australia, included The Machinery of Freedom in a list of the "Top 20 books you must read before you die" in 2006.
Liberty magazine named the book among The Top Ten Best Libertarian Books, praising Friedman for tackling the problems related to private national defense systems and attempting to solve them.
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