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  • The Machinery of Freedom - Guide to a Radical Capitalism

  • Written by: David D. Friedman
  • Narrated by: David Friedman
  • Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (6 ratings)

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The Machinery of Freedom - Guide to a Radical Capitalism cover art

The Machinery of Freedom - Guide to a Radical Capitalism

Written by: David D. Friedman
Narrated by: David Friedman
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Publisher's Summary

This audiobook argues for a society organized by voluntary cooperation under institutions of private property and exchange, with little, ultimately no, government. It describes how the most fundamental functions of government might be replaced by private institutions, with services such as protecting individual rights and settling disputes provided by private firms in a competitive market. It goes on to use the tools of economic analysis to attempt to show how such institutions could be expected to work, what sort of legal rules they would generate, and under what circumstances they would or would not be stable. The approach is consequentialist.

The claim is that such a society would produce more attractive outcomes, judged by widely shared values, than alternatives, including the current institutions of the US and similar societies. The second edition contained four sections; this third edition adds two more. One explores in greater depth some of the ideas already raised, including discussions of decentralized law enforcement in past legal systems, of rights seen not as a moral or legal category but as a description of human behavior, of a possible threat to the stability of the system not considered in the previous editions, and of ways in which a stateless society might defend itself from aggressive states. The final section introduces a number of new topics, including unschooling, the misuse of externality arguments in contexts such as population or global warming, and the implications of public key encryption and related online technologies. 

Please note: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©1973, 1978, 1989, 2014 David Director Friedman (P)2019 David Director Friedman

What listeners say about The Machinery of Freedom - Guide to a Radical Capitalism

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Interesting content, amature reading

Interesting content that is absolutely worth a listen. The only thing holding this audiobook back is the following:

The recording environment was less than sterile. You may hear doors creaking, birds chirping, and the occasional audio hiccup. (volume or microphone quality changes)

This issue did not have much of an impact on my enjoyment of this audiobook, but may be of some concern to other listeners.

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one of the best book that I have ever red.

based on Anarcho-capitalism ideology
every chapter follows the others and answer all the unpredictable questions very well.

the voice and tone is very warm and smooth didn't made me tired of listening .

Thank you for your great Beek.

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Articulate, well reasoned and thought-provoking!

David Friedman is as clear and concise a thinker as I have encountered.

The book being Narrated by David is also wonderful. With his full understanding of the work no sentences are lost in the misunderstanding/inaccurate emphasis of the reader.

The audio-quality leaves something to be desired, as David is clearly recording it from his home office or another room that is not quite soundproof. However the trade off of audio-quality for the qualitative understanding of this complex work is well worth the trade.

David's argument's come from primarily a consequentialist/utilitarian/pragmatic stand point instead of a moral one. This lends David to having a dispassionate, refined articulate manner in which he presents his ideas. One that may be more persuasive to those who may not accept or have thought through the non-aggression principle.

David is also ready and willing to acknowledge any weaknesses that are present in his argumentation, and where he does not believe we yet have an adequate solution, he states as much clearly, and when able to, explains the why as well.

David is not willing to hide the ball, and isn't attempting a conversion or awakening to Libertarian's ideals. He is positing a system that should be desirable to most if not all, even if they are not necessarily Libertarian's in their politics. To understand how and why, one must read the book.

The book was thoroughly understandable, but having spent many years within as well as thinking deeply about Libertarian philosophy, I cannot be sure whether or not someone new to the material would be able to absorb the entirety of the manuscript. I however would still recommend the book, and if you are a Libertarian, you are doing yourself a disservice by not reading it!

Thank you David for your carefully considered thoughts on these complex/challenging questions.

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