The Myth of National Defense
Encyclopedia
The Myth of National Defense is a book edited by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
, published in 2003 by the Ludwig von Mises Institute
, and contributed to by many prominent anarcho-capitalists, about the merits of replacing government defense agencies with private defense agencies. Hoppe himself argues that it is dangerous to give monopoly power over the use of force to any entity, as there is then nothing to prevent it from being abused. The chapter by Larry J. Sechrest argues that privateering provides historical examples of how private defense forces were actually superior to government naval forces in many ways, including the well-being of the sailors; the less destructive nature of this sort of conflict; etc. Certain essays, such as the one by Murray Rothbard
, were published in this book posthumously. Contrasting the book to Democracy: The God That Failed
, Andy Duncan, notes, "Its one drawback is that it does lack the organic unity of the Professor's earlier book on democracy, mainly because he failed to write the whole thing himself."
Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Hans-Hermann Hoppe is an Austrian School economist of the anarcho-capitalist tradition, and a Professor Emeritus of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.-Academic career:...
, published in 2003 by the Ludwig von Mises Institute
Ludwig von Mises Institute
The Ludwig von Mises Institute , based in Auburn, Alabama, is a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Its scholarship is inspired by the work of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises...
, and contributed to by many prominent anarcho-capitalists, about the merits of replacing government defense agencies with private defense agencies. Hoppe himself argues that it is dangerous to give monopoly power over the use of force to any entity, as there is then nothing to prevent it from being abused. The chapter by Larry J. Sechrest argues that privateering provides historical examples of how private defense forces were actually superior to government naval forces in many ways, including the well-being of the sailors; the less destructive nature of this sort of conflict; etc. Certain essays, such as the one by Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
, were published in this book posthumously. Contrasting the book to Democracy: The God That Failed
Democracy: The God That Failed
Democracy: The God That Failed is a 2001 book by Hans-Hermann Hoppe, containing a series of thirteen essays on the subject of democracy and concluding with the belief that democracy is the primary cause of the decivilization sweeping the world since World War I, and that it must be delegitimized.He...
, Andy Duncan, notes, "Its one drawback is that it does lack the organic unity of the Professor's earlier book on democracy, mainly because he failed to write the whole thing himself."
Section 1 – State-Making and War-Making
- Chapter 1 – The Problem of Security; Historicity of the State and "European Realism" by Luigi Marco Bassani and Carlo LottieriCarlo LottieriCarlo Lottieri is an Italian free-market anarchist philosopher.- Life :He studied philosophy in Genoa and sociology at the Institut Universitaire d’Etudes Européennes at the University of Geneva and in Paris, where he obtained a D.E.A. and a Ph.D. at the Paris-Sorbonne University...
- Chapter 2 – War, Peace, and the State by Murray N. Rothbard
Section 2 – Government Forms, War, and Strategy
- Chapter 3 – Monarchy and War, by Erik von Kuehnelt-LeddihnErik von Kuehnelt-LeddihnErik Maria Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn was an Austrian Catholic nobleman and socio-political theorist...
- Chapter 4 – Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation or Monopoly? by Bertrand Lemennicier
- Chapter 5 – Is Democracy More Peaceful than Other Forms of Government? by Gerard Radnitzky
Section 3 – Private Alternatives to State Defense and Warfare
- Chapter 6 – Mercenaries, Guerrillas, Militias, and the Defense of Minimal States and Free Societies by Joseph R. StrombergJoseph R. StrombergJoseph R. Stromberg is an independent historian and former columnist for antiwar.com and LewRockwell.com. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, the War on Terrorism, the Antifederalists , and an on-going critique of the Unitary Executive theory of the U.S. Presidency...
- Chapter 7 – Privateering and National Defense: Naval Warfare for Private Profit by Larry J. Sechrest
- Chapter 8 – The Will to be Free: The Role of Ideology in National Defense by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel
- Chapter 9 – National Defense and the Theory of Externalities, Public Goods, and Clubs by Walter BlockWalter BlockWalter Edward Block is a free market economist and anarcho-capitalist associated with the Austrian School of economics.-Personal history and education:...
- Chapter 10 – Government and the Private Production of Defense by Hans-Hermann HoppeHans-Hermann HoppeHans-Hermann Hoppe is an Austrian School economist of the anarcho-capitalist tradition, and a Professor Emeritus of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.-Academic career:...
- Chapter 11 – Secession and the Production of Defense by Jörg Guido Hülsmann
External links
- The Myth of National Defense: Essays on the Theory and History of Security Production, available in Google Books