Instead of a Book (The Right wing individualist tradition in America) [Paperback]

Benjamin R. Tucker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0405004451 | ISBN-13: 978-0405004452 | Publication Date: June 1972

Originally published in 1897. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies. All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Ayer Co Pub (June 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0405004451
• ISBN-13: 978-0405004452
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,509,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Benjamin Tucker: An American Anarchist., November 30, 2003

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New Age of Barbarism "zosimos" (EVROPA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instead of a Book (The Right wing individualist tradition in America) (Paperback)

Liberty, Not the Daughter, but the Mother of Order. - Proudhon.

Republished in the series "The Right Wing Individualist Tradition in America", _Instead of a Book_ is a collection of excerpts chiefly from the journal _Liberty_ published by Benjamin Tucker, as well as a single essay entitled "State Socialism and Anarchism", which are put together so as to outline Tucker's anarchist philosophy. Benjamin Tucker (a graduate of M.I.T.) published the journal _Liberty_ in Boston and he developed his ideas from other great anarchists such as Proudhon (whose essay "What is Property?" served as inspiration for anarchism), Jossiah Warren (an important American anarchist), Bakunin (the famous Russian anarchist), Max Stirner (Left Hegelian philosopher and writer of the radical egoist individualist anarchist tract _The Ego and Its Own_), Lyssander Spooner (another great American libertarian) and to a lesser extent individuals such as Kropotkin (although Tucker shows how Kropotkin is not a true anarchist) and Herbert Spencer. The philosophy of anarchism amounts to an affirmation of the individual and a denial of all authority (especially the authority of the state, but also the authority of religion and capital) and seeks to maximize individual liberty. The anarchist believes that all is permitted provided that it does not involve infringement upon the liberty of another, and thus the anarchist is opposed to all state interference, whether this be through taxation, state supported monopoly, state seizure of property, Prohibition laws, and in America slavery, etc. The anarchist does not believe in human rights, but rather maintains the principle of "equality of liberty" - maximizing individual liberty provided it does not involve invasion. Anarchy differs from what Tucker calls "state socialism" (a philosophy whose chief proponent is Karl Marx) in that it does not call for government management of the affairs of men, advocates individual liberty, is not authoritarian (the opposite in fact), and maintains that by abolishing the state, capitalistic monopoly will disappear. In this sense, anarchy rejects all authority and monopoly (including the monopoly of the state to print money, and the monopoly of the usurer, as well as the monopoly on ideas), and although opposed to what Tucker calls "state socialism", Tucker still maintains that anarchy is a "socialism" preferring to rehabilitate this word for his use. Sections in this book deal with "The Individual, Society, and the State" (in which the opposition of anarchism to what was inaccurately called "individualism" is emphasized), "Money and Interest" (in which the anarchist opposition to usury and state monopoly is explained), "Land and Rent" (in which the anarchist opposition to rent on land is explained), "Socialism" (in which Tucker again maintains that anarchy is a "socialism" but opposes this to the authoritarian "state socialism" of Karl Marx), "Communism" (in which Tucker argues that communism is authoritarian and opposed to anarchism), "Methods" (in which Tucker distinguishes between his anarchism and that of other "state socialistic anarchists" who advocate violence against capital, such as was seen at the Chicago bombings), and a "Miscellaneous" section (in which Tucker praises certain important precursors and notes again the battle between labor and capital). Many important and unique contributions to political thought can be found within this book (excerpted almost entirely from the pages of _Liberty_). In sum, this book presents an excellent introduction to anarchist thought by a great American libertarian, Benjamin Tucker.