Review of "A Vision of Liberty"

A little over a week ago I mentioned I was getting the book, A Vision of Liberty by Jim Davies. I have now read it and thought you might like to know what I thought.

First the "bad". It was too short. I guess that is also a "plus" since it is quick and easy to read, but I will admit I wanted more. I'm not sure what else could have been covered, though, since it seemed pretty inclusive.

Mr. Davies needed a better proofreader, since I found quite a few grammatical and punctuation errors (but then, I probably like commas too much). It didn't detract from the book for me since I am accustomed to reading much less coherent things than this on a daily basis. As long as the meaning is conveyed... Seriously, it wasn't as bad as I made it sound, and I will admit, I am much too picky.

Now, the "good": I really liked the book. It wasn't a book of esoteric philosophy or in-your-face preaching, but a pleasant vision of what a truly free society might be like to live in. Bring it on! Reading this made me feel hopeful and optimistic. I am not normally that way. I mentioned that the book was too short. My solution is that I am reading it again immediately. I think the book is an excellent complement to his TOLFA website. They could work together to instill a desire for the end of government in the fence sitters who need to be convinced in order for this to come to pass. Mr. Davies admits that his book is speculative and that events might work out differently. I think that if the liberty-meme can be spread as he proposes, his vision could be very possible.

I think Mr Davies has a very optimistic view of the future, which is good, and I hope he is justified. Some of his personal preferences were evident in his vision, which is understandable. I might not reach the same conclusions, for example, about what music will be popular in this liberated future, but I also realize it wouldn't matter to me if he is right or wrong about that minor detail.

I recommend that you pick up a copy of his book if you have a few FRNs to spare. Read it and then pass it along to someone who could use the help to envision how freedom would feel and how it might work.


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