Law by Bastiat Frederic Bastiat: Book Cover

    Law by Bastiat Frederic Bastiat

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    • Publisher: Lightning Source Inc
    • Pub. Date: January 2007
    • ISBN-13: 9781596059641
    • Sales Rank: 6,560
    • 68pp
     
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    Synopsis

    French political libertarian and economist CLAUDE FRÉDÉRIC BASTIAT (1801-1850) was one of the most eloquent champions of the concept that property rights and individual freedoms flowed from natural law.
    Here, in this 1850 classic, a powerful refutation of Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, published two years earlier, Bastiat discusses:
    . what is law? . why socialism constitutes legal plunder . the proper function of the law . the law and morality . "the vicious circle of socialism" . the basis for stable government . and more.

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    The Definitive Statement on the Purpose of Governmentby Anonymous

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    April 23, 2008: If I could get people to read only one book, this one would be it. Really.

    When Ideas Don't Expireby Anonymous

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    November 04, 2007: This timely piece on libertarianism by Fredrick Bastiat is yet further evidence that the ideas of liberty do not have an expiration date. The copyright states that this essay was originally published in 1850, yet over 150 years later its message still resonates. Bastiat experienced the socialistic approach in the French government during the early 1800s and knew well of its perversion of law. Every man, woman, and child has the right to their life and property. The government was created to bring justice and defense to her people and their property, as it should retain. But when laws are put in place to legalize theft, whether it comes from man's personal greed or compassion, then the law ends up directly contradicting herself. This essay describes two ways the government legalizes theft 'or plunder'. One way is when a few people plunder many and the other is when everybody plunders everybody. The third option is when nobody plunders anybody, the third option is the option of freedom. Yet laws are often put into place for humanitarian reasons, whether it be to protect the markets, economy, or people. Though such laws directly contradict the main purpose of the law, to give justice and defense to the people. The government has nothing to give, it can only take from one man and give to another. She cannot better a marketplace or economy by placing tariffs or tweaking interest rates, as it is only the free market that can create the best economy. Yet the law, as the essay describes, is perverted. By whom? Its legislator. The legislator tends to think that they know better how to run the lives of individuals than the individuals themselves. So they put into place laws to steal from one group to supposedly help another. But what happens when the dissatisfied class gets into power of the legislator? They put laws into place to spite the other! As Bastiate describes it, '...legislation will be a battlefield for everybody's dreams and everybody's covetousness.' This essay is a must read for everyone capable of understanding its message and a must have for every libertarian's library.