The Machinery of Freedom

The Machinery of Freedom is a 1973 nonfiction book by libertarian economist David D. Friedman outlining the means by which an anarcho-capitalist society could operate. The Institute of Public Affairs included it in a list of the "Top 20 books you must read before you die." The book calls for the abolition or privatization of all government functions, details suggestions for many specific instances of privatization, explores the consequences of li... More

The Machinery of Freedom is a 1973 nonfiction book by libertarian economist David D. Friedman outlining the means by which an anarcho-capitalist society could operate. The Institute of Public Affairs included it in a list of the "Top 20 books you must read before you die." The book calls for the abolition or privatization of all government functions, details suggestions for many specific instances of privatization, explores the consequences of libertarian thought, examples of libertarian society (such as the Icelandic Commonwealth), and offers the author's personal statement about why he became a libertarian. Topics addressed in the book include the privatization of law (both legislation and enforcement), and the knotty problem of providing for public goods (such as national defense) in a purely libertarian society. Friedman's approach and conclusions are anarcho-capitalist. While some libertarians and anarcho-capitalists offer deontological views and argue in terms of natural rights,...

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