Enforced Fraternity Destroys Liberty

by Frédéric Bastiat

　　Mr. de Lamartine once wrote to me thusly: "Your doctrine is onlythe half of my program. You have stopped at liberty; I go on tofraternity." I answered him: "The second half of your program willdestroy the first."

　　In fact, it is impossible for me to separate the word fraternityfrom the word voluntary. I cannot possibly understand how fraternitycan be legally enforced without liberty being legally destroyed, andthus justice being legally trampled underfoot.

　　Legal plunder has two roots: One of them, as I have said before,is in human greed; the other is in false philanthropy.

　　At this point, I think that I should explain exactly what I meanby the word plunder.*

　　 *Translator's note: The French word used by Mr. Bastiat isspoliation.