The Law and Morals

by Frédéric Bastiat

　　You say: "Here are persons who are lacking in morality orreligion," and you turn to the law. But law is force. And need Ipoint out what a violent and futile effort it is to use force in thematters of morality and religion?

　　It would seem that socialists, however self-complacent, could notavoid seeing this monstrous legal plunder that results from suchsystems and such efforts. But what do the socialists do? Theycleverly disguise this legal plunder from others -- and even fromthemselves -- under the seductive names of fraternity, unity,organization, and association. Because we ask so little from the law-- only justice -- the socialists thereby assume that we rejectfraternity, unity, organization, and association. The socialistsbrand us with the name individualist.

　　But we assure the socialists that we repudiate only forcedorganization, not natural organization. We repudiate the forms ofassociation that are forced upon us, not free association. Werepudiate forced fraternity, not true fraternity. We repudiate theartificial unity that does nothing more than deprive persons ofindividual responsibility. We do not repudiate the natural unity ofmankind under Providence.