The Problem of Political Authority
An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey
by Michael Huemer · first published 2013
85% recommend15% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A careful philosophical case against the state's claim to coerce and command obedience, with a free-market anarchist alternative. Suits readers who want rigorous argument about political authority.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Modern states commonly deploy coercion in a wide array of circumstances in which the resort to force would clearly be wrong for any private agent. What entitles the state to behave in this manner? And why should citizens obey its commands? This book examines theories of political authority, from the social contract theory, to theories of democratic authorization, to fairness- and consequence-based theories. Ultimately, no theory of authority succeeds, and thus no government has the kind of authority often ascribed to governments. The author goes on to discuss how voluntary and competitive ins
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…actual costs? This ventures into the territory of private defense agencies, which decentralize security services, and is a deeper subject. If you want to dive in, I'd suggest Michael Huemer's book "The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey" in which he debunks the Hobbesian war of all against all scenario. "Practical Anarchy" by Stefan Molyneaux is also a decent (and free to read)…
on “Critical Update on DAO Vulnerability” ↗…libertarianism are widely accepted (philosophical anarchism comes to mind) even if the position on the whole is rejected. The philosopher mentioned in this article (Michael Huemer), wrote a great book called The Problem of Political Authority which lays out a very good argument against the state in the first half and attempts to defend anarcho-capitalism in the second half. While I don't think the second half of the book really succeeds in…
on “The Libertarian Case for Rejecting Meat Consumption” ↗There are both left-leaning and libertarian variants of anarchy. For the latter: the strongest, most "steelmanned" defense of (libertarian) Anarchy (and it's not even close) is Michael Huemer's The Problem of Political Authority: https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Political-Authority-Examinati... This is a serious work of analytic philosophy by a highly cited philosopher (who, before this book, was famous for his contributions outside…
on “What anarchy isn't (free eBook)” ↗…The Origins of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama Volume 2: Political Order and Political Decay by Francis Fukuyama Seeing Like a State by James Scott Exit, Voice and Loyalty by Albert Hirschman The Problem of Political Authority by Michael Huemer The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joesph Tainter The majority of the time these authors are interested in outcomes, not in winning for whatever their home team is. Outside of academia…
on “Sam Altman’s Manifest Destiny” ↗This is a completely incorrect characterisation of the current state of free-market anarchist thinking. Please see Michael Huemer's "The Problem of Political Authority" for an actual discussion of the moral/ethical problems with governments, and a proposal for free-market anarchy.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Problem_of_Political_Autho...
on “Why Do We Admire Mobsters?” ↗…organization granted a monopoly (or oligopoly) on the legitimate use of force in a designated geographic area. For a discussion on the philosophical problems with governments as such, I recommend reading "The Problem of Political Authority" by Michael Huemer.
on “The Billionaire Behind Efforts to Kill the U.S. Postal Service [pdf]” ↗…https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/16/book-review-seeing-lik... Next, check out both of these books: - James C. Scott, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed [0] - Michael Huemer, The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey [1] Neither book will disappoint! [0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20186.Seeing_Like_a_Stat... [1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15794037-the-problem-of-...…
on “Trust Models” ↗You are making many arguments on the 'philosophical anarchist' spectrum. Michael Huemer's "The Problem of Political Authority" may be of interest to you.
on “Facebook’s Zuckerberg sues to force land sales” ↗"The Problem of Political Authority: The Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey". I'm wrecked after this book. Hated that I couldn't find a good way to disagree with it. Feels like so many nice things I thought about the world were ruined,…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗The strongest, most "steelmanned" defense of Anarchy (and it's not even close) is Michael Huemer's The Problem of Political Authority: https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Political-Authority-Examinati...
on “Are you an anarchist? The answer may surprise you (2000)” ↗…way. My view is that government authority is at its perigee when it comes to free speech, and that any regulation is both problematic and suspect. This stems from Huemer's convincing arguments in "The Problem of Political Authority".
on “YouTube bans coronavirus vaccine misinformation” ↗…Fiction: * Heart of Darkness - Conrad * Candide - Voltaire * Brave New World - Huxley * Selected Works - Goethe * 1984 & Animal Farm - Orwell Politics: * Obedience to Authority - Milgram * The Problem of Political Authority - Huemer * The Communist Manifesto - Marx * Socialism - von Mises * Just One Child - Greenhalgh * The God That Failed - Crossman * Death by Government - Rummel Thought-provoking: * Free to Learn…
on “Ask HN: What did you purchase that measurably improved your quality of life?” ↗…characterize it) of some form. I did mention "minimal" central planning; however, again, you're making an assertion of political philosophy. I do not believe private property requires central planning. See: The Problem of Political Authority by Michael Huemer for example.
on “Dreams of a Red Emperor: The Relentless Rise of Xi Jinping” ↗…on an issue you care about. Here are some I would recommend: * ‘superintelligence’ by Nick Bostrom * ‘Down Girl: the logic of misogyny’ by Kate Manne * ‘dialogues on ethical vegetarianism’ or ‘The Problem of Political Authority’ by Michael Huemer. These are admittedly not going to cover the so-called big questions of philosophy, or survey the history of epistemology. But, like Michael Huemer, I think that most works of philosophy…
on “Ask HN: Learning about philosophy” ↗The Elephant in the Brain The Enigma of Reason The Problem of Political Authority
on “Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?” ↗