It Is Dangerous to Be Right When the Government Is Wrong
The Case for Personal Freedom
Rights come before governments rather than from them, and a state that claims to grant your freedoms can take them back.
Napolitano builds his case for natural rights: that freedoms precede government rather than being granted by it, and that a state claiming to bestow them can equally withdraw them. He works through speech, privacy, property, self-defence and travel, testing each against what governments have actually done. The title comes from Voltaire, and the book keeps his sense that being correct offers no protection.
As an Amazon Associate, bookstoread.org earns from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted an error on this page? Tell us and we will fix it.