When All Else Fails: The Ethics of Resistance to State Injustice

Description

Why you have the right to resist unjust government The economist Albert O. Hirschman famously argued that citizens of democracies have only three possible responses to injustice or wrongdoing by their governments: we may leave, complain, or comply. But in When All Else Fails, Jason Brennan argues that there is a fourth option. When governments v

Jason Brennan is the Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. His many books include Against Democracy and The Ethics of Voting (both Princeton).

"One of Bloomberg Opinion's Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2018 (Stephen L. Carter)" "One of our most provocative philosophers argues that if we can use force to stop others from hurting people unjustly, we can also use force to stop the government from hurting people unjustly."---Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg Opinion "This book is essential reading in an age in which political systems appear to be failing and in flux and populations are becoming insecure and distrustful of their governments. . . . It should stimulate a debate that we need to have."---Lisa Mckenzie, Times Higher Education "Provocative and entertaining. . . . Much of the book is Brennan defending his moral parity thesis from challenges, such as the social contract (we consent to government rule), good faith (agents are just doing their jobs as best as they can), and dangerous misapplication (dumb people will make terrible mistakes). Brennan deftly knocks down these objections one by one. . . . When All Else Fails argues persuasively that even if a government agent or official is part of a popularly elected democratic regime, this doesn't magically confer immunity from defensive action when the agent or official engages in unjust, immoral actions."---Matthew Harwood, Reason "[An] excellent book."---Amit Varma, Pragati "Brennan . . . presses his readers to examine and justify . . . moral and political dispositions, and denies them easy recourse to democratic legitimacy as a way out."---Luke Philip Plotica, Democratization