The Law
Frédéric Bastiat · 1850 · Politics & Society
Full text · 7 chaptersNarrated in your voice
What it's about
A short, forceful essay written in the last year of Bastiat's life: law exists to protect life, liberty and property, and becomes 'legal plunder' when it is used to take from some for the benefit of others. A standard text of classical liberalism, in a nineteenth-century English translation.
Reading plan
Pick a finish date and Genius lays out the days — the plan shows today's target and keeps you honest.
Read together
Start a circle and share the code — everyone sees everyone's honest place in the book. Accountability, not leaderboards.
Who it's for
- Readers interested in the case for limited government - Anyone who wants a classic of economics that can be read in an evening - Students of political philosophy and the 1848 era in France
