We will begin our review of Chapter 3 of Anarchy, State, and Utopia later today or tomorrow. Before proceeding, however, let’s take a closer look at Chapter 3’s overall structure and organization. In brief, Chapter 3 is titled “Moral Constraints and the State” and contains nine separate subsections as follows:

(i) The minimal state and the ultraminimal state (pp. 26-28)

(ii) Moral constraints and moral goals (pp. 28-30)

(iii) Why side constraints? (pp. 30-33)

(iv) Libertarian constraints (pp. 33-35)

(v) Constraints and [non-human] animals (pp. 35-42)

(vi) The experience machine (pp. 42-45)

(vii) Underdetermination of moral theory (pp. 45-47)

(viii) What are constraints based upon? (pp. 48-51)

(ix) The individual anarchist (pp. 51-53)

I don’t know about you, but I have always been fascinated by the question of moral constraints and moral reasoning generally (our field is law, and what is law but a form of public morality?), so we can’t wait to jump into this material. How “constraining” are the so-called “rules” of morality, and where do these moral codes come from? In particular, are the “dictates” of morality truly binding on us, or is morality merely aspirational, an artificial human construct? Stay tuned …

Credit: Brett Cross