A Voluntary Political Government: Letters From Charles Lane

by Charles Lane

Charles Lane was an abolitionist who believed that all forms of human interaction should be voluntary, a philosophy that came to known as voluntaryism. In a series of letters written to William Lloyd Garrison’s The Liberator in 1843, Lane expressed his outspoken viewpoint on individualism. When Carl Watner came across this correspondence, he compiled it in book form and included an extensive introduction which puts the letters into historical perspective. The letters are a lively defense of individualist thought and offer insights into how the world can be changed from one that is rooted in violence to one that flourishes in freedom. 104 pages.

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1982

About the author

Charles Lane is a Washington Post editorial board member and op-ed columnist. A finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing, he was the Post's Supreme Court correspondent prior to joining the editorial board. As editor of The New Republic, he took action against the journalistic fraud of Stephen Glass, events recounted in the 2003 film Shattered Glass. He has also worked as a foreign correspondent in Europe and Latin America. He is the author of two previous books.