No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority
by Lysander Spooner
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Lysander Spooner's discontentment with the Constitution of the United States led him to publish No Treason, which revises significant parts of that document to reduce the power of the state versus individuals.The author was an anti-authoritarian philosopher and legal theorist who had spent his earlier life vigorously campaigning against slavery. Following the American Civil War however, he became horrified at the brutality and carnage that had been unleashed. Redoubling his criticisms, show more Spooner asserts his dismay that the U.S. government was rendered inert by its Constitution - slavery was only abolished after a long and bloody war, whereas had it been forbade at the outset, no such conflict would have arisen.A strong proponent of natural law - the concept that all humans had rights endowed at the point of their birth - Spooner had a sense of revulsion at how American politics had ensued in the early-to-mid 19th century. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
"No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority" is one of the few unassailable classics of anarchism. It very effectively makes a legalistic case against the state, and is one of the most interesting statements of political philosophy, not to mention a touchstone (and challenge to) modern libertarianism.
On the other hand, the letter to Thomas Bayard (published alongside in this edition to the "No Treason" pamphlet) puts Spooner's argument in a slightly less persuasive light, to say the least.
On the other hand, the letter to Thomas Bayard (published alongside in this edition to the "No Treason" pamphlet) puts Spooner's argument in a slightly less persuasive light, to say the least.
Not an interesting or compelling argument even if I agree with the result
Spooner is a libertarian anarchist, but unfortunately he makes a really dull argument throughout this book, essentially that the constitution is invalid unless 100% of people physically sign their names to it in every generation. This is the kind of formal and legalistic argument that gets Sovereign Citizens and others laughed out of court or tased on the street. While there is some reasonable philosophical argument about the legitimacy of states, territorial monopolies, etc,, the way he makes this argument is less than useless — it generally lowers the stature of libertarianism overall.
He wrote the book/pamphlets in the immediate aftermath of the civil war, so show more the arguments about treason with respect to the South do make sense, but there are far better ways to make this case.
Probably still worth skimming as a historical document but overrated. show less
Spooner is a libertarian anarchist, but unfortunately he makes a really dull argument throughout this book, essentially that the constitution is invalid unless 100% of people physically sign their names to it in every generation. This is the kind of formal and legalistic argument that gets Sovereign Citizens and others laughed out of court or tased on the street. While there is some reasonable philosophical argument about the legitimacy of states, territorial monopolies, etc,, the way he makes this argument is less than useless — it generally lowers the stature of libertarianism overall.
He wrote the book/pamphlets in the immediate aftermath of the civil war, so show more the arguments about treason with respect to the South do make sense, but there are far better ways to make this case.
Probably still worth skimming as a historical document but overrated. show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority
- Original publication date
- 1867
Classifications
- Genres
- Politics and Government, Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction, Philosophy
- DDC/MDS
- 973 — History & geography History of North America United States
- LCC
- E668 .S76 — History of the United States United States Late nineteenth century, 1865-1900 Johnson's administration, April 15, 1865-1869 Reconstruction, 1865-1877
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 141
- Popularity
- 227,860
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.23)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
- 7
