A Quick Post: Some Good Anarchist Reads

Libertarian Anarchism: Responses to Ten Objections

by Roderick T. Long

This is a short transcript of a talk given by Roderick Long discussing some common objections to Anarchy. If you're new to the idea of Anarchy or maybe you're looking for some good arguments to common objections, this is a useful read. I've been at this whole anarchy thing for about a year now and I still found it an entertaining new perspective on countering these common objections.

Just as if you walk into a restaurant and sit down and say, “I’ll have a steak,” you don’t have to explicitly mention that you are agreeing to pay for it; it’s just sort of understood. By sitting down in the restaurant and asking for the steak, you are agreeing to pay for it. Likewise, the argument goes, if you sit down in the territory of this given state, and you accept benefits of police protection or something, then you’ve implicitly agreed to abide by its requirements. Now, notice that even if this argument works, it doesn't settle the pragmatic question of whether this is the best working system. 

The Machinery of Freedom

by David Friedman

A longer read, David Friedman has a pretty thorough discussion of anarchy from its founding principles to historical examples and pragmatic ways to move forward. It is copied over from an older text, but there are many updated numbers and examples based on predictions made in the original. If you're looking for something a little more comprehensive that is still fairly fun, give it a read.