Review of 'The Problem of Political Authority' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
It is refreshing to read the work of another anarchist (there are so few of us around) and hear them advocating for the same ideas that you have supported for years. Michael Huemer does a good job of laying out a logical argument for why anarchism (more specifically, anarcho-capitalism) is and should be a valid alternative to centralized government. My only critique would be that early on in the book he seems to flirt with the idea that one of the purposes of the justice system is punishment of the offender. While that is certainly a feature of our current justice system, it shouldn't be, and I would have expected a more strenuous declaration of such, but it never seemed to appear.
I hope that others (besides anarchists) will give this book a try and expose themselves to the ideas it contains. While this is what I would call a …
It is refreshing to read the work of another anarchist (there are so few of us around) and hear them advocating for the same ideas that you have supported for years. Michael Huemer does a good job of laying out a logical argument for why anarchism (more specifically, anarcho-capitalism) is and should be a valid alternative to centralized government. My only critique would be that early on in the book he seems to flirt with the idea that one of the purposes of the justice system is punishment of the offender. While that is certainly a feature of our current justice system, it shouldn't be, and I would have expected a more strenuous declaration of such, but it never seemed to appear.
I hope that others (besides anarchists) will give this book a try and expose themselves to the ideas it contains. While this is what I would call a scholarly effort, heavily footnoted, it is still approachable for the average reader (I think this was the author's intent) and would make an excellent entry point into this area of political philosophy.