“ A natural law is that factor in man which asserts itself freely and spontaneously without any external force, in harmony with the requirements of nature. ”
Emma Goldman, Anarchism and Other Essays (1910). copy citation
Author | Emma Goldman |
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Source | Anarchism and Other Essays |
Topic | requirement harmony |
Date | 1910 |
Language | English |
Reference | |
Note | |
Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2162/2162-h/2162-h.htm |
Context
“Unfortunately there are still a number of people who continue in the fatal belief that government rests on natural laws, that it maintains social order and harmony, that it diminishes crime, and that it prevents the lazy man from fleecing his fellows. I shall therefore examine these contentions.
A natural law is that factor in man which asserts itself freely and spontaneously without any external force, in harmony with the requirements of nature. For instance, the demand for nutrition, for sex gratification, for light, air, and exercise, is a natural law. But its expression needs not the machinery of government, needs not the club, the gun, the handcuff, or the prison.”
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