You and the State: A Short Introduction to Political Philosophy

Since the Western tradition of political philosophy first took root in ancient Greece, it has grappled with three overarching questions: What, if anything justifies the government”s existence? Assuming that government can be justified or is simply found to be inevitable, what form should it take? And what should the government do? . . . Jan Narveson”s most recent book, You and the State: A Fairly Brief Introduction to Political Philosophy, has the virtue of paying due attention to all three of the big questions, treating them in an accessible and engaging manner well suited to anyone exploring the subject for the first time.

Narveson offers a refreshingly straightforward introduction to the major schools of political philosophy in which he lays bare his own unvarnished opinions about the proper role of government in the lives of individuals. The animated journey through classical philosophical ideas and texts winds up at an unusual and intriguing destination few of us bother to seriously consider, but probably should: a state of no state that Narveson lauds as capitalist anarchism. — Hawley Fogg-Davis, Temple University