The Right to Ignore the State

Herbert Spencer was an incredible prophet and a magnificent defender of laissez-faire. Among his numerous works is The Man Versus The State, first published in 1884.That book launched one of the most spirited attacks on statism ever written. Heridiculed the idea that government intervention of any kind "will work as it is intendedto work, which it never does." He drew on his tremendous knowledge of history,citing one dramatic case after another of price controls, usury laws, slum clearancelaws, and myriad other laws which, touted as compassionate policies, intensifiedhuman misery. Below is one of his essays that explores the principles of self-government, which Henry David Thoreau defended in his seminal essay, CivilDisobedience