Book Description

The Man Versus the State, by English libertarian, and sociologist, Herbert Spencer, was originally published in 1884. Originally the work consisted of four chapters. The New Toryism, The Coming Slavery, The Sins of Legislators and The Great Political Superstition. To which, more recently the essays Freedom from Bondage, and Over-Legislation, as well as a postcript and an Introduction by Albert Jay Nock have been added. In the book Spencer sees a statist corruption coming from within the liberal ideological framework, warning of a coming slavery. He argues for liberalism, however, stating that the new love liberalism has for the State would place liberalism within the realm of a new despotism, worse than the previous one. Henry Hazlitt commented that this was "One of the most powerful and influential arguments for limited government, laissez faire and individualism ever written."