The Law

This was recommended by Mark Moss via his YouTube channel, and I must say, that I regret not knowing about this dynamite of a book sooner. Read this, then view the world, knowing why it is, as it is.

Law is justice. Though written in 1850, this persuasive argument for Natural Law and the free market by French economist, Frédéric Bastiat is, still, absolutely relevant today. What is the solution for a freer more prosperous society, limited government or, the socialistic, legal plunder of wealth that is growing like a cancer across our great nation? Three factors that are crucial, as quoted from Thomas DiLorenzo in the forward: Bastiat believed that all human beings possessed the God-given natural rights of `individuality, liberty, [and] property. And, from Bastiat himself: The mission of Law is not to oppress persons and plunder them of their property, even though the Law may be acting in a philanthropic spirit. Its mission is to protect property. As a personal witness of corrupt law, he quotes varied interventionists throughout history followed by an argument against, at times with a touch of sarcasm. Personality, liberty and property are superior to all human legislation; it is not because men have made laws that these exist, for they existed since the beginning. This God given Law (Natural Law) reaps prosperity, however, as we have seen, it can also be perverted. A Good accompaniment: Lex Rex by Samuel Rutherford

Read or listen to Bastiats The Law while you can. Cancel culture may cancel this book and its author without ever having read, listened to, or understood it, and its author under the blanket that everything cancel culture hates is hate speech and racism.

The only real downside to this book is vocabulary and the writing style. The content is excellent, but the delivery is of a style and usage of language that modern readers are not familiar with.

To the point! Explains the foundation of law that stands today.

This book succinctly defines what law is, and what it is not. In so doing, the reader clearly sees why our present system of “laws” is not working.

This was written in 1850, just after the 1848 revolution in France. Bastiat was concerned by all the different groups that were trying to use The Law or in Hayeks words, The State to remake society into their vision of a more perfect society. Bastiat argues that trying to use the law to help out one group does so at the expense of another group, he calls this legal plunder and points out how in the long run this will ruin society. Bastiat starts off saying that the basic gifts man has from God are: life, liberty, and property. It is appropriate and correct to defend yourself, your liberty, and your property. The Law was created to ensure that individuals in society were allowed to use these gifts. Bastiat says that unfortunately The Law is abused by the greed and false philanthropy of man. There are two basic ways of getting ahead in life, the first is to work hard and produce, the second is to plunder from others. When trade off and risks for plunder are better than labor, many people will turn to plunder. It is very tempting for those who make laws to use the law to plunder. Bastiat says legal plunder is to use the law to take property, which if was done without the benefit of the law would have been considered a crime. He has some fairly pointed barbs at socialists. He says many of the writers at his time seem to view people as raw material, to be formed or controlled. He says that most socialists see mankind as evil, while they (the socialists) are good. This leads the socialists to feeling justified in using The Law to make mankind be good. Bastiat asks why so many people in government feel that mankind makes too many mistakes, but that they in government are nobler and will make better choices. This is short, and because the original format was a pamphlet, Bastiat acknowledges that it is not complete. So many of his points and arguments are brief. This is a good call to action, to encourage people to be more informed about their government, and to work to limit the government. So much of what Bastiat said long ago is still true.

The first 560 pages is a novel authored by L.S. The last 48 pages are written by F. Bastiat. Holding a heavy book to read only 48 pages is an unpleasant experience. 2 books in one, a distasteful joke for serious readers.

Frederic Bastiat was a man of my kidney. This is a clear, simple crie de cour from someone who saw the law perverted to an instrument of plunder to almost everyones injury. He is eloquent in his plea for reform. The evil he wants to eradicate is socialism, and its face is all to familiar to readers 150 years after he wrote this powerful critique. Alas, we never learn.

The Law is a name that doesnt turn a person on to read this book. The book itself is a reflection of our present day culture that is in need of a renewal of the values that this nation once held dear. As a young man I heard men that I looked up to say things like the lord willing we will have a good crop . These were men who were not church going people but the culture praised hard work,truth,and generally values that dealt with having good character. Women were respected and children protected from bad language and men had honor. The present generation and the ones that came before have been on a slow downward path that this man MR. Bastiat is warning his nation France about . Our nation was the greatest nation ever to bring a people to real freedom but we have lost it to the desire for free stuff and we no longer have a love for the things we create with the work of our hands. If the culture will return to the founders values there is hope. I am 73 and dont think it will happen in my life time, but could if The Law written by Frederic Bastiat were to be in braced by the home ,the church, and the government there would be hope.