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Bastiat's "The Law" (Occasional Paper, 123)
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Product Description
Frederic Bastiat, who was born two hundred years ago, was a leader of the French laissez-faire tradition in the first half of the nineteenth century. He was influenced by Cobden's Anti-Corn Law League and became a convinced free trader. Joseph Schumpeter described Bastiat as 'the most brilliant economic journalist who ever lived'.
In The Law, written in 1850, the year of his death, Bastiat recognises the central importance of the law and morality in a free society. He was concerned that government was using the 'law' to become too active a participant in the economy whilst devoting too little attention to protecting life and liberty.
This Occasional Paper, which reprints an English translation of The Law, includes a new introduction by Professor Norman Barry of the University of Buckingham which places Bastiat's views in their historical context and explains their continuing relevance today.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #724992 in Books
- Published on: 2001-12
- Original language: English
- Binding: Paperback
- 87 pages
Customer Reviews
Excellent !!!
I read "The Law" as part of my Civics course this year in highschool, and I'm SOOOOOOOO glad it was required. At 16, I'm scared to death at where my country is heading and this book contains the answers for a government and law system that'd make a country I'd be proud of in every way. This is a book I'd buy in bulk and stuff in newspaper boxes if I had the means -as it is all my friends are going to get it for Christmas along with a glowing report from myself. Heck, who needs to wait for Christmas, ELECTION DAY IS COMING!
This book was originally in a pamphlet format and is a wonderful short summary of what the natures of law and government are and what they should be. But because of this format, many of his arguements are brief, and he acknowledges that not all of them are complete.
He starts out stating the gifts of God to man are: life, liberty and property. Bastiat insists that man is allowed to defend himself, his liberty, and his property, and that "the Law" was created to ensure that society would be allowed to make use of their God-given gifts.
Then the he goes on to explain how "the Law" is abused by men. He states there are two basic ways of living, the first is to work hard and produce, and the second is to plunder and live off of others. When man finds that plundering is easier than work, he will plunder. The only thing that will stop him is if there are consequences that he will have to deal with and dangers that he must risk. Bastiat shows how tempting it is for man to use the law to plunder (how "legal plunder" is the taking of property, which -if done without the benefit of the law- would have been a dealt with as a crime). He goes on to explain how this "legal plundering" will ruin a society and cause economic turmoil.
Bastiat then goes into socialism, and how it plays out in society. He gives examples of various socialist writers, and points out how they view mankind as some raw material that is to be controlled and manipulated. Frederic Bastiat shows how they divide mankind into two classes, with themselves as the nobler of the two, and the rest of man as evil masses that are to be shaped and guided by their own uses of "the Law" and made to be good. They consider themselves to be above the rest, and capable of making better choices than the rest of the world.
Even though it was written in the 1800's, Bastiat writing is extremely relevant today, and deals with the issues of welfare, government schools, and other subsidies of the law that are not to be. He states that "the law is justice" and that "the purpose of the law is to prevent injustice from reigning" for justice only exists when injustice is absent. It clearly defines socialism for what it is and gives various examples of the results of it. This book has to be (as another reviewer has said) the liberal's worst nightmare.
SO READ IT! USE IT! SHARE IT!
Concise, Powerful, Elegant Defense of Liberty and the Law
When I read F.A. Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom," I thought I had read the most inspired and compelling book ever to discredit socialism and other collective-isms. I was wrong...very wrong.
I cannot believe Bastiat wrote "The Law" in the middle of the 19th century since it has so much applicability to the 20th (and soon to be 21st) century.
If ever there was a concise and powerful argument for defending Liberty and the Law against every social engineer, this has to be it. Bastiat is a master of words and the analogy. Every lover of freedom who wishes to get a nutshell understanding of why Liberty and Law matters ought to read this book. Every enemy of freedom (e.g. liberals, socialists, communists, etc.) ought to fear it.
A Libertarian Manifesto
I was given this book by a family member who is an avid supporter of Ron Paul. Apparently, this brief work by Frenchmen Claude Frederic Bastiat (1801-50) has largely influenced Paul's economic and political principles. Bastiat succinctly argues that the responsiblity of the law is to protect life, liberty, and property, and nothing more. Anything beyond this, according to Bastiat is a perversion of the law. He refers to socialism in all it's forms, including most taxes and tarriffs, as legal plunder, or false philanthropy. He also has plenty of scorn for those demagogues of all ages who feel they know what is best for the masses. In essence, this is an enthusiastic defense of personal freedom, and small government. In this regard, it seems to be a typical libertarian treatise, which is certainly nothing new, but Bastiat would seem to be one of the original proponents of this philosophy, whatever that is worth. I can't say I wholeheartedly embrace every aspect of the libertarian worldview, but I would certainly recommend this as valid and interesting food for thought.
