Deleting the State

What if everything you believe about the state is a lie? Here is a bold challenge to centuries of political orthodoxy…

Life is "nasty, brutish, and short," asserted 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Without the state, he claimed, man is "in that condition which is called War... every man, against every man." His solution? Leviathan: the sovereign power, the guard against chaos.

For centuries, most political philosophers have taken his argument for granted.

But should they?

Is the Hobbesian fear truly rooted in reality? If not, what happens to politics when we allow fear, not cooperation, to become foundational to our framework? Robert Nozick asked these same questions in Anarchy, State, and Utopia. These lucidly written pages extend these arguments even further—with some surprising conclusions.

Aeon J. Skoble—professor of philosophy, bestselling author, and acclaimed political theorist—makes a powerful case that the state as we understand it today is not only morally unjustifiable, but also, thankfully, unnecessary. It has only the power we mistakenly grant it. What if we didn't?

Packed with urgent lessons, original insights, and unparalleled philosophical rigor, this book is essential reading for anyone who dares imagine a freer world.

Includes a new preface and afterword by the author.

Aeon J. Skoble is a professor of philosophy and the Bartlett Chair in Free Speech and Expression at Bridgewater State University and a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.