Abstract

This book, in the tradition of Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia, sheds new light on persistent philosophical questions about the nature and justification of political authority. Skoble’s discussion draws upon law, economics, and game theory to examine limited-state and anarchist theories from the standpoint of liberty and human rights. It includes a careful elucidation, based on the analysis in F. A. Hayek’s Constitution of Liberty, of the nature of coercion and the extent to which it can realistically be minimized. Skoble sets out the differences between libertarian and communitarian perspectives on the nature of society and the state, and, finally, compares the merits and demerits of violent and nonviolent strategies for political change.