Our Enemy, the State

EN Texto en inglés Aún no hay artículo en tu idioma: extracto en inglés.

Our Enemy, the State is the best-known book by libertarian author Albert Jay Nock, serving as a fundamental influence for the modern libertarian and American conservatism movements. Initially presented as a series of lectures at Bard College, it was published in 1935 and attempts to analyze the origins of American freedom and question the nature and legitimacy of authoritarian government. Nock differentiates between that, which he refers to as "the State" (as described by Franz Oppenheimer in his book The State) and "legitimate" government, including governing oneself or consensual delegation of decision-making to leaders one selects. The book has been cited as an influence by a wide range of conservative and libertarian thinkers and political figures, including Murray Rothbard, Ayn Rand, Barry Goldwater, H.L. Mencken, and L. Neil Smith. It is seen as a key foundation for the modern American conservatism movement that grew out of reaction to the expanding State of the New Deal. Considering the expansion of The State in the years since, Our Enemy, the State has been cited as increasingly apt over time, among Conservatives. In arguing that John F. Kennedy was actually conservative, Ira Stoll cited his ownership of Our Enemy, the State, as well as The Man Versus the State, by 19th century leader of the individualist movement, Herbert Spencer. Nock argues in the book that something like the modern conservative movement should be formed of what he described as The Remnant, those remaining people who recognize The State as a destructive burden on society. Nock is not attacking government, per se, but "The State", authority that violates society itself, claiming to rule in the people's name but taking power away from the community. He states that the expansion of the state comes at the expense of social power, shrinking the role of community.