In
1550, at the young age of eighteen, Étienne de la
Boétie wrote his reply to Machiavelli's The
Prince. In it he sought to
answer the question of why people submit to the
tyranny of governments. This classic work of
political reflection, Discourse
of Voluntary Servitude, laid
the ground work for the concept of civil
disobedience, and as such, has exerted an important
influence on the traditions of dissidence from
Thoreau and Ralph Emerson, to Tolstoy, to Gandhi.
In his
Discourse
de La Boétie delves deeply into the nature of
tyranny and into the nature of State rule. He cuts to
the heart of what is, or rather should be, the
central problem of political philosophy: the mystery
of civil obedience. Why do people, in all times and
places, obey the commands of government, which always
constitutes a small minority of the society?
Apart
from the complete text of Discourse
of Voluntary Servitude, this
edition of The Politics of
Obedience, includes, as well, a
comprehensive 100-page biography, by Paul Bonnefon,
on the life and times of de La Boétie. It was the
only one ever written, and it has never before been
published in English (previously published as the
Introduction to Oeuvres Complètes Étienne de La
Boétie, 1892, and long out of print).
It
is ironic that the works of Machiavelli, advisor
to rulers, should enjoy widespread currency,
while the libertarian La Boétie is muted.
Hopefully, publication of his 1550 Discourse,
with its superb introduction by Murray Rothbard,
will right the imbalance. --Stanley Milgram, Obedience
to Authority
La
Boétie's discourse is a highly significant essay
on the ultimate source of political power, the
origins of dictatorship, and the means by which
people can prevent political enslavement and
liberate themselves. --Gene Sharp, Politics
of Nonviolent Action
Table of Contents
ÉTIENNE
DE LA BOÉTIE was a sixteenth-century political
philosopher. PAUL BONNEFON is the author of Oeuvres
Complètes Étienne de La Boétie (Complete Works of
Étienne de La Boétie, 1892).
192
pages, 5.5 x 8.5, bibliography, index
Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-292-1 $19.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-293-X $38.99
Politics / Philosophy
August
2006
