LIBERTARIANISM by Jason Brennan ( 9780199933891 ) - Books & Audio Books at Pickabook.co.uk

Item Details

Title:

LIBERTARIANISM
WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW

By:

Jason Brennan

Format:

Hardback

List price:

£53.00

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£38.69

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27% off

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£14.31

ISBN 10:

0199933898

ISBN 13:

9780199933891

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Publisher:

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS INC

Pub. date:

15 October, 2012

Series:

What Everyone Needs To Know

Pages:

232

Description:

Most tend to associate libertarianism with a two central principles. The first is the sanctity of personal freedom, a concept which encompasses everything from reproductive rights to drug legalization to gay rights to banning military drafts. The second is the superiority of free market capitalism over all other forms of economic systems. For such a system to function effectively, the role of the state in the economy must necessarily be minimal. Yet as Jason Brennanshows in this highly engaging and wide-ranging primer, libertarianism is far more than this. He covers its history, its philosophical tenets, disputes within the movement, the views of its critics, and its current political fortunes. He also focuses on specific issues like altruism to immigration.Finally, he looks beyond the U.S. and shows how libertarianism has attracted followers in liberalizing states throughout the world. In the last few years, libertarianism's popularity has grown at an explosive rate. Ron and Rand Paul's success and the Republican's dogmatic opposition toward all forms of government intervention also speak to libertarianism's increasing influence. For anyone interested in the philosophy and the movement, Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know is the perfect introductory overview.

Synopsis:

Historically, Americans have seen libertarians as far outside the mainstream, but with the rise of the Tea Party movement, libertarian principles have risen to the forefront of Republican politics. But libertarianism is more than the philosophy of individual freedom and unfettered markets that Republicans have embraced. Indeed, as Jason Brennan points out, libertarianism is a quite different-and far richer-system of thought than most of us suspect. In this timely new entry in Oxford's acclaimed series What Everyone Needs to Know, Brennan offers a nuanced portrait of libertarianism, proceeding through a series of questions to illuminate the essential elements of libertarianism and the problems the philosophy addresses, including such topics as the Value of Liberty, Human Nature and Ethics, Economic Liberty, Civil Rights, Social Justice and the Poor, Government and Democracy, and Contemporary Politics. Brennan asks the most fundamental and challenging questions: What do Libertarians think liberty is? Do libertarians think everyone should be selfish? Are libertarians just out to protect the interests of big business? What do libertarians think we should do about racial injustice?What would libertarians do about pollution? Are Tea Party activists true libertarians? As he sheds light on libertarian beliefs, Brennan overturns numerous misconceptions. Libertarianism is not about simple-minded paranoia about government, he writes. Rather, it celebrates the ideal of peaceful cooperation among free and equal people. Libertarians believe that the rich always capture political power; they want to minimize the power available to them in order to protect the weak. Brennan argues that libertarians are, in fact, animated by benevolence and a deep concern for the poor. Clear, concise, and incisively written, this volume explains a vitally important philosophy in American history-and a potent force in contemporary politics.

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Imprint:

Oxford University Press Inc

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF LIBERTY