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0zzy
09-23-2007, 09:50 PM
I just bought it on Amazon.
I don't read much.
I don't read at all.
I'm only 17.

For those who read it, is it good?
A good beginners book?
Will I be able to understand it, as a untapped mind and one who is ignorant to the history of economics and policies compared to those on this board?

:D? :O?

fsk
09-23-2007, 10:15 PM
You can get it online for free. There's lots of good books online now. Plus, you can read blogs like mine and blogs I link to in my blog.

Bastiat wasn't too difficult to read. Older books tend to be hard to read, due to changes in language.

katao
09-23-2007, 10:20 PM
For those who read it, is it good?


Trust me, read it.

Gilby
09-23-2007, 10:21 PM
I'm in the middle of reading it. It's a very good book with simple explanations. Even though it's old (1850), it's easy to read, maybe because the translation is recent?

0zzy
09-23-2007, 10:46 PM
I'm in the middle of reading it. It's a very good book with simple explanations. Even though it's old (1850), it's easy to read, maybe because the translation is recent?

Ya, I bought the 2007 publication by the Mises Institute.

And a lot of good books are online, but I am not a big fan of reading a large article online, let alone a book. I think for books I need a hardcopy in my hand, so I can read it on the go whenever I need to.

But then again I haven't read a book since, a few years nows :x.

But I think I want a hardcopy anyways. :] It was only 10bucks after shipping.

Duckman
09-23-2007, 10:55 PM
I just read "The Law" for the first time recently, although I've been a libertarian for years I haven't actually read most of the foundational literature. The fundamental argument of the book, which I think its very powerful, is that when you end up with many laws on the books that many people cannot agree with, it erodes society's respect for the entire law in general, to the peril of that very same society.

Bradley in DC
09-23-2007, 11:09 PM
Classic foundational book.

Read also F.A. Hayek's Road to Serfdom.

0zzy
09-23-2007, 11:32 PM
Should I read a rebuttal book about individualism/free market? So I can know the talking points of both sides and make an educated decision? :O

If so, what's a good one?

freedominnumbers
09-23-2007, 11:39 PM
There is truly no rebuttal to "The Law".
Anyone who argues with it hasn't read it. (Or at least didn't understand it.)

Once you understand basic Libertarian philosophy you are always prepared for any argument against it. This is because you will thoroughly understand just what makes you a sovereign being and what that means.

Any argument against it is an argument against freedom plain and simple.

0zzy
09-24-2007, 12:38 AM
There is truly no rebuttal to "The Law".
Anyone who argues with it hasn't read it. (Or at least didn't understand it.)

Once you understand basic Libertarian philosophy you are always prepared for any argument against it. This is because you will thoroughly understand just what makes you a sovereign being and what that means.

Any argument against it is an argument against freedom plain and simple.

Damn, that's quite a statement.

My teacher thinks Ron Paul is too "conservative" and is "scary". He likes Gore a lot.

Think if I gave him this book to read over the weekend, he'd do a 180*?

freedominnumbers
09-24-2007, 01:09 AM
Give him the book and download a book on CD version of it.

It's public domain so it can be found all over.

Websites:
http://bastiat.org/ - Online versions of Bastiat's works.

http://www.freeaudio.org/fbastiat/thelaw.html
The MP3 version can be downloaded here. Burn it to a CD for anyone interested.

Once a person is awakened by the law they will be hungry for more truth.
It's all out here on the internet.

One of the most important things you learn is that social liberalism and fiscal conservatism go hand in hand with freedom.

This is the problem with our two party system. They are either socially and fiscally conservative(R) or socially and fiscally liberal(D) and as such despite any good intention they will always erode at one of the two pillars of freedom until the whole thing collapses.