Customer Reviews

Defending the Undefendable: The pimp, prostitute, scab, slumlord, libeler, moneylender and other scapegoats in the rogue's gallery of American society

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is famous for the favorable treatments given to pimps, drug addicts, litterers, counterfeiters, and the like.

Those chapters are certainly worthwhile, but for me the best parts were the clear, concise explanations of why people like the often-vilified "slumlord" and "ghetto merchant" -- who charge high prices for low quality in the inner city -- are actually worthy of praise. The simple economic ideas so clearly explained here are essential for anyone who believes in free markets to understand.

I was expecting a standard Rothbardian treatment of vices and I was shocked at this short, easily read book. I bought it in San Francisco, CA, and was finished with it by the time I stepped onto Illinoisian soil. The arguments are straight Mises - amazingly simple, yet profound. It's hard to explain how such simplicity can be found in each chapter. If you are unconvinced, just read any chapter (many are only two pages long) - concerning the miser, the corrupt cop, the pimp, and the advertiser. This isn't Rothbardian in that Murray Rothbard will argue down to the very philosophic principles to prove his point. As an analogy, you don't need to know the quantum mechanics [Rothbard] of the transistors (semiconductors) to know the functions [Block] of your computer. Sorta.

Although many would describe this book as a "hardcore" or "radical" account of libertarian principles, there is nothing in the book that should be shocking or new to any consistent libertarian. Its main virtue is in its consistent and often even amusing application of basic libertarian concepts. I would say that anyone new to libertarianism should read this book, but if you are already acquanted with the standurd radical texts (Rothbard in particular) there is nothing very new here.

Some 30 years after its original release, Defending the Undefendable is in many ways as fresh and topical as any current book. It follows a collection of society's villains and attempts to explain, in both economic and ethical senses, why these people are really heroes.

In many cases, Dr. Block makes a seemingly airtight case. I found myself disagreeing on a few counts but that only made for a more enjoyable read. After all, who wants to read nothing but what they can unquestioningly agree with?

Defending's cover makes a lofty promise... "Something to Offend Everyone". Honestly, I'd imagined that so long after it's release, this was an unreasonable promise to make, and that much of the controversy of the book would have been dulled with age. But I can report that truly, the book's ability to offend is very much in tact. In my case it was the author's outright hostility to private charity and his attempt to present the social darwinist argument against it (something I was already familiar with) as "undeniable" proof that private charity is harmful.

Still, irrespective of its ability to offend (and in some cases because of it), it's still something I can highly recommend. It is, simply put, a classic work of libertarian philosophy... and a too often ignored one at that.

Another very good introduction to economics. The chapter titled "The (Non-Government) Counterfeiter" does a great job of explaning inflation, perhaps the most important topic and evil that the masses have no understanding of. Another one of my favorites was "The Middleman" where Dr. Block does a great job of talking about the importance of "knowledge" and how the middle men are what help spread this knowledge via the price system. Those two chapter alone make the book worth its price.

Walter Block, or "Doc Block", as I like to call him, provides a solid and refreshing application of the most basic laws of freedom to areas previously avoided by those who claim to support it. What Block does that makes this book unique is exactly what he purports to do in the description. He teaches the lessons of liberty by analyzing the actions of those who are supposedly less worthy of defense. And he does it with a flair that makes the book not just entertaining, but also thought-provoking. Whoever thought an analysis of liberty could be entertaining! Maybe more importantly, the lessons that Doc Block provides for one scapegoat flow smoothly and inexorably to the next. In fact, that's the real treasure of these analyses. The lesson(s) for each new "rogue" is exactly the same as it was for the last one, even though it might initially seem like the cases are vastly different. Lucky for us slow-learners, Block teaches the same lesson over and over again. By the time you hear it applied to such a wide spectrum of (ostensibly) illicit activity, you begin to "get it" relative to not only why freedom is so vital, but why it must be treasured, for all, even the scapegoats.

This book should be required reading for anyone looking to understand what liberty is actually all about.

It is curious that this thought-provoking little book is not currently available directly from our beloved Amazon, but only via Marketplace sellers, some of whom appear to be quite the gougers (as the book's list price is only $13). Of course, in light of Block's defense of "The Profiteer," one should instead think "wonderful gougers," "helpful enterprising folks," etc.

Here is a book description and summary of contents which I found very helpful:

"Professor Block's book is among the most famous of the great defenses of victimless crimes and controversial economic practices, from profiteering and gouging to bribery and blackmail. However, beneath the surface, this book is also an outstanding work of microeconomic theory that explains the workings of economic forces in everyday events and affairs.

> Foreword by Murray N. Rothbard
> Commentary by F.A. Hayek
> Introduction
> Topical Organization / Content:
>> Sexual
The Prostitute
The Pimp
The Male Chauvinist Pig
>> Medical
The Drug Pusher
The Drug Addict
Free Speech
The Blackmailer
The Slanderer or Libeler
The Denier of Academic Freedom
The Advertiser
The Person Who Yells "Fire!" in a Crowded Theatre
>> Outlaw
The Gypsy Cab Driver
The Ticket Scalper
The Dishonest Cop
>> Financial
The (Non-Government) Counterfeiter
The Miser
The Inheritor
The Moneylender
The Non-Contributor to Charity
>> Business and Trade
The Curmudgeon
The Slumlord
The Ghetto Merchant
The Speculator
The Importer
The Middleman
The Profiteer
>> Ecology
The Stripminer
The Litterer
The Wastemakers
>> Labor
The Fat Capitalist-Pig Employer
The Scab
The Rate Buster
The Employer of Child Labor"

-- Ludwig von Mises Institute
<< FYI, Walter Block is professor of economics at Loyola University (New Orleans) and a senior fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute. >>

DEFENDING THE UNDEFENDABLE is an exciting book. Dr. Block applies familiar libertarian principles in the most unexpected and innovative ways. I began reading many chapters in disbelief, while concluding as a loyal convert. It was awe-inspiring to observe the brilliance and clarity of Block's step-by-step logic unfolding, with him taking me through an intellectual journey to its ineluctable conclusion. If such "lowlifes" as libelers and slumlords rank near the bottom of your pecking order, you're in for an exhilarating read!

Dr. Block's work, Defending the Undefendable, is an outstanding introduction to basic economics; and an ideal gift for contrarians, curmudgeons and coots of all types. In simple, easy to understand chapters, Dr. Block lays out the case for legalization of a some things, such as prostitution and drugs. In other chapters, he goes on to argue that drug sales and "price gouging" should not only be legal, they are morally praiseworthy. Students of ethical philosophy may also be interested in the manner in which Dr. Block defends many long vilified practices. Two things, unfortunately, keep me from giving this book a full five stars. Although a minor defect, and difficult to avoid in a book of this type, the book can be a little uneven from chapter to chapter. Secondly, the book feels somewhat dated at points - for example, the chapter on the importer, while a subject of great controversy at the time the book was written, has since been overtaken by events, at least insofar as contemporary relevance goes. An updated edition, tackling more contemporary issues (the health insurance shirker, for example) could make the book even more approachable.

This is, to say it modestly, a splendid book.

If you want to shake your ideas, radically change your mind about almost everything, this is maybe the best book I would recommend you.

The author, in short, funny, readable chapters, explains why people should respect, or accept, or tolerate, or even like people that are usually despised without any good reason. Just to name two: the drug pusher and the child labor employer!

This book is a strong defense of freedom, not only of personal, civil liberties, but of economic liberties too. This book is an excellent refutation of economic myths and an excellent antidote against economic ignorance. After reading this book (believe me, once you start reading the first chapter, you will devour the whole book), you will know what is necessary to produce widespread prosperity, and you will understand why: freedom, capitalism, free-markets, laissez-faire, and property rights. And you will understand that this is not only what is necessary, but what is good too.

I don't give 5 stars to this book for some minor reasons. The main one is that I don't believe in perfection in this world. Then, on a more earthly level, I think that the author should have been still more radical, extremist, fanatical, coherent and logical than he is. For example, he should have defended the gun smuggler, the anarchist rebel, and a few more who can contribute to destroy the state, and conquer total freedom. Finally, the last reason for which I don't give the best score is that I disagree with some few conclusions and arguments.

Anyway, this is without a doubt the book I read which had the biggest impact on me ever. This book, coupled with some complementary reading, like for example For A New Liberty, from Murray Rothbard, is enough to make of you a liberal/libertarian and an anarchist. And to change the way you see the world.

Bravo Walter Block!

Viva a Liberdade!

Pedro Velhinho Bandeira