In Defense of Anarchism
Robert Paul Wolffregarded as a classical work in anarchist scholarship.[1] Wolff specifically defends individualist anarchism; the book is premised on the idea that individual autonomy and state authority are mutually exclusive and, as individual autonomy is inalienable, the moral legitimacy of the state thus collapses.[1]
First published by Harper and Row in 1970 as In Defense of Anarchism: With a Reply to Jeffrey H. Reiman’s In Defense of Political Philosophy…The book is structured in three parts: “The Conflict between Authority and Autonomy,” “The Solution of Classical Democracy,” “Beyond the Legitimate State,” and an appendix, “Appendix: A proposal for Instant Direct Democracy.”[1] The book opens with Part I, “The Conflict between Authority and Autonomy,” which Wolff begins by positing as the essence of modern political philosophy “how the moral autonomy of the individual can be made compatible with the legitimate authority of the state.”[1] As an anarchist, he believes that it cannot be. What follows is Wolff’s account of authority and Kantian autonomy, and the incompatibility of the two.
| status | Copy #1 (1716): in |
|---|---|
| genre | Anarchism » Anarchist Theory |
| publisher | Harper and Row |
| publish date | 1970 |
| popularity | checked out 1 time(s) |