Respecting Persons is a powerful collection of Jan Narveson's best essays, culled from over three decades in professional philosophy. In the first, more theoretical, half of the book, he ably demonstrates how mainstream moral philosophy has lost its vital moorings in the interests and desires of individuals. The force of Narveson's arguments, as he runs roughshod over theorists of redistribution, from Karl Marx to John Rawls, is palpable: you may even pity the egalitarians! He also makes a potent case for anarchy, property rights, and the moral legitimacy of profit.

In the second half, Narveson tackles more concrete problems. Here, he offers remorseless demolitions of drug prohibition, anti-discrimination laws, and Malthusian predictions of eco-catastrophe. He also presents characteristically insightful analyses of "group rights" and the rights of children, grounded in the contractarian theory of his first book (The Libertarian Idea).

It is tempting to call this an example of Nietzsche's ideal: "philosophy with a hammer." But Narveson is so lucid and logical that perhaps "philosophy with a very sharp and deftly wielded broadsword" is more appropriate. Despite being a serious philosophy text, this book reads rather like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with footnotes. Throughout, Narveson's range is astonishing, his style engaging, and the quality of his writing second only to that of his reasoning.

Review by Julian Sanchez

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