The Great Political Superstition

E188031

"The Great Political Superstition" is an essay by Herbert Spencer that critiques blind faith in governmental authority and challenges the belief that the state is inherently a force for good.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
The Great Political Superstition canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf essay ⓘ
political essay ⓘ
advocatesFor individual rights ⓘ
skepticism toward state power ⓘ
author Herbert Spencer ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom ⓘ
criticizes political superstition ⓘ
state intervention in society ⓘ
unquestioned political obedience ⓘ
critiques belief that the state is inherently a force for good ⓘ
blind faith in governmental authority ⓘ
field political philosophy ⓘ
social philosophy ⓘ
genre libertarian political theory ⓘ
hasPerspective anti-statism ⓘ
minimal state ⓘ
hasReception cited in critiques of statism ⓘ
influential in libertarian circles ⓘ
hasTheme critique of political legitimacy ⓘ
danger of centralized power ⓘ
limits of political authority ⓘ
moral responsibility of individuals ⓘ
influencedBy classical liberal thought ⓘ
individualist philosophy ⓘ
language English ⓘ
mainTopic critique of governmental authority ⓘ
individual liberty ⓘ
limited government ⓘ
political philosophy ⓘ
role of the state ⓘ
philosophicalSubject authority ⓘ
coercion ⓘ
freedom ⓘ
state power ⓘ
philosophicalTradition classical liberalism ⓘ
libertarianism ⓘ
positionOnCitizens citizens should question political authority ⓘ
positionOnGovernment government authority must be morally justified ⓘ
positionOnLaw laws are not automatically just because they are enacted by the state ⓘ
positionOnState the state is not inherently benevolent ⓘ
relatedTo Social Statics ⓘ
The Man Versus the State ⓘ
timePeriod 19th century political thought ⓘ
workContainedIn collections of Herbert Spencer’s essays ⓘ
workOf Herbert Spencer ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Man Versus the State → hasPart → The Great Political Superstition ⓘ
The New Toryism → relatedWork → The Great Political Superstition ⓘ