Freedom!

by Adam Kokesh

For all other formats, most of which are free: http://adamvstheman.com/freedom

The wisdom within these pages has the power to unlock our potential as a species and establish an enduring civilization based on peace, self-ownership, and nonviolence.

You, as a free, beautiful, independent human being with inalienable rights, own yourself! You can do what you want with your own body and the product of your labor. All human interactions should be free of force and coercion, and we are free to exercise our rights, limited only by respect for the rights of others. Governments rely on force, and force is a poor substitute for persuasion. When you learned "don't hit," "don't steal," and “don’t kill,” it wasn't, "unless you work for the government." Governments frighten us into thinking we need them, but we are moving past the statist paradigm and rendering them obsolete.

This book will empower YOU to be more happy, free, and prosperous, while putting you in a position to help shape our destiny.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, Nonfiction

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

American Libertarian.

Kokesh fought in the Iraq war ( 2003 - 2011 ) on the American side.

He is also the host of a livestream / podcast called Adam vs the Man which also aired on RT America.

Kokesh has calls for a "new American revolution" and a "orderly dissolution of the federal government."

Reviews

[Alejandro Heracles al-Mu'minin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand the point of this book. The work bring nothing profound or original in analysis of society and freedom acting only as self serving echo chamber to the anti-statist libertarian conjecture. The emotional response to government reads like a manifesto of disgruntled youth.

With so many self evident truths espoused it might serve well as an introductory piece but like Newt Gingrich's book on American Exceptionalism feels redundant and for whatever reason lacks luster.

Yes these are basic acceptable responses to all the basic questions of agorism. But they are just so basic, it feels like elementary school level responses as a series of issues are taken on point by point. Perhaps inspired by Ron Paul's Liberty Defined it ends up underwhelming like basically everything Newt.

I find it very ironic that shortly after this attack on government Adam Kokesh would run for office, maybe this is better taken as a campaign book. It also serves a purpose as summation of this radio hosts' views- nothing special, but probably worth exposing yourself to if you have just heard of libertarians and think they're cooky little beings that just want to take down the government- or save yourself a lot of effort and listen to a half hour Stefan Molyneux podcast... I'd really go with that latter.

[Dave Furbush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading by everyone.

That is all.

[Kenny Palurintano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in living a free & happy life. Adam breaks down many ideas, covers a wide variety of topics, and keeps it all quite accessible, no matter what level of education you have in socio-economics or government. The metaphors & examples he uses are spot-on, and the whole experience is a wonderful one.

I listened to the audiobook, which was only about 3 hours long, the day after he released it for free on his website. The first physical copies of the book just shipped out last week, and I'm looking forward to re-reading it, as well as the 400 copies I ordered to give out to other people. Besides the book being insanely cheap, you can still go to his website and get all the digital formats for free!

Adam is also about to start "The American Campfire FREEDOM! Tour", during which he will be traveling to 150 American cities, giving away copies of the book and hosting events.

All in all, I can't recommend this book highly enough!

[Gustav · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Everything any government does is bad just because. Mostly critique without anything constructive.

[José Antonio Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam Kokesh makes an important contribution in the fight for Freedom. As a veteran who understood the nonsense of war he has being an active promoter of freedom addressing the layman. This book is easy to understand and probably very appealing. As he states it in his book "Education of others starts with education of ourselves. To be advocates for freedom, we don't need to be academic experts, but it helps to have a complete grasp of the message". This books helps in that respect, covering a broad range of issues shows how government intervention is against the interest of people.

For people with academic background Kokesh books is too basic, but it can be a perfect gift to introduce people to defend liberty.

[Argawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite freedom related books. here Adam gives a concise summary of how government affects each part of our lives and also gives us a solution. it filled me with hope for humanity that someday it is possible to achieve total freedom and peace and finally end statism, wars and all coercive governments. 'this is not a revolution but an evolution' Adam Kokesh

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've listened to the book for FREE through Adam's podcast subscription a couple of times now. I also downloaded a copy to iBooks for FREE so that I could read it from my phone. The book is very well thought out and lays out the principles of liberty for each section in the contents. I thought it would be helpful for new viewers to see a list of the contents before investing in this project.

I The Philosophy
I. Freedom
2. Government
3. Statism
4. Property
5. Voluntaryism

This last section is the crust of what the principle of liberty is now for many people in the liberty movement. Regardless of what you consider yourself politically or philosophically, this book is worth reading and understand just so that you have a proper definition of terminology and the message behind it.

II Brief History of Power
1. Evolution of the Government Racket
2. Patriotism
3. Propaganda
4. Government vs. Technology

I really enjoyed this last section. It's easy to see the faults of government, but it's really interesting to play out their ability to deal with social problems versus individuals use and advancement of technology to further humanity instead. When you really sit down and consider the argument that Adam lays out in this last section, it is inarguable to make the statement 'government is holding humanity back'.

III War
1. The Greatest Crime Against Freedom
2. Soldering
3. The Motivation for War
4. The Isolation of Intervention
5. Foreign Aid
6. War on Terror
7. Real Security

This is what brought me into the liberty movement. This issue has pained me for years, and I won't be ashamed to say that this section made me weepy. I thought about my grandfather in Korea, my uncles in Vietnam, my friends in Somalia, my family and friends in Iraq and Afghanistan now. This section read like Major General Smedley Butler's book 'War is a Racket' to me. The first time I read that book I felt like a veil had been lifted into the deception and propaganda of war making. Adams stated opinions and philosophy are also the most viable argument for your presidential run in 2016. Since, after all, the military is really the only responsibility a US President is supposed to have control over according to the US Constitution.

IV Personal Security
1. Life is Fragile
2. Justice
3. The Police State
4. Courts
5. Incarceration
6. Self-Defense
7. Sexual Assault

Ok, I'll make a confession, I have had personal experiences in my life that make this section very difficult for me. I honestly thought I was grounded in my beliefs and principles on the issues of sexual assault and the death penalty. After listening to and reading this section, I can say that I am in a quandary now. I really can't go in to it here, but when I'm able to talk about it, I will try and call into Adams show and get some resolution.

V Taxation
1. Taxation is Theft
2. Money and Banking as Theft
3. Why So Complicated?
4. Land Theft and Property Taxes
5. Inter-generational Child Abuse

This section is what separates the oligarchy worshipers from the free, independent, beautiful people that we are, and we are meant to be. You could write a 45 volume book series on this topic alone. But, Adam managed to consolidate the main principle and ideas very well.

VI Economics
1. The Free Trade Ideal
2. Money
3. Corporation and Unions
4. Infrastructure and Utilities
5. Ostracism and Boycott
6. Everything is Economics

Between this section and the last, I agree with the other commenters that stated this book is 'Anatomy of the State 2.0'. Rothbard would be proud kid! This is just the introduction to the principle though, the real test will be to see if people reading this simple yet eloquently written book for the first time will go and investigate these topics further.

VII Other Destructive Rackets
1. Schooling
2. Medical Care
3. Welfare
4. Prohibition
5. Protecting the Environment
6. Intellectual Property

To be fair, this section may need to be retitled to 'Other Destructive Rackets and Emerging Solutions'. I think Adams decision to make this book available for FREE to anyone and everyone is an incredible testament to your commitment to your principles on intellectual property.

VIII Government & Love
1. Sex, Marriage, and Family
2. Children's Rights
3. The Evolution of Parenting
4. Bullying
5. Racism

This section first appeared disjointed to me, but after listening to and reading it, I think it flows beautifully. So many people I know point to these issues as rational for government in our personal lives. These are the pillars they fall back on when all other arguments have failed. Adam does a fairly good job of dispelling them. I would urge people who are new to these ideas to call into Adam's show and explore further objections you might have. I have a feeling I know what he's going to say though - 'we can find a way to deal with our social problems without the use of violence'. I'm paraphrasing of course.

IX True Personal Freedom
1. Emotional Slavery
2. Health Freedom
3. Work Freedom
4. Happiness Causes Freedom

Adams 'zen libertarianism' really shines though in this section. Many of his listeners (like me) really appreciate his views and conversation because of this optimism. There is real truth to the idea that if more individuals were happy and at peace with themselves, we would have a more happy and peaceful world. Maybe Adam could add a little sentence or two for me about dance. I really believe that when you free your body, you free your mind. Just turning on some music and jumping around is a liberating experience and I encourage everyone to do it as much as possible.

X The Future of Freedom
1. The Asymptote
2. The Internet Effect
3. The Paradigm Shift
4. Education, Activism, and Agorism
5. Localization
6. Is This a Revolution?

In summary, I not only enjoyed the book myself, but ordered 100 printed copies so that I can hand them out to people. I'm excited to have such an excellent tool to share and get feedback about.

[Vlad GURDIGA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every strong position will inevitable sound extremist to some, but don’t let that push this book away.

Especially if you’re in IT or understand IT, especially if you looked at homeschooling and unschooling, especially if you stumbled upon NVC — you’re almost guaranteed to start nodding at some point.

Even if you find yourself arguing with the ideas in this book, even if you take it as a ridiculous idea, I’d say it’s still worth a read.

[Satyasheel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provides great critique of centralized government. This book doesn't discuss the solutions to the issues discussed though.

[Donmakles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about why the very existence of government is wrong. Perhaps not the right book to introduce noobs to libertarianism or the liberty movement. Probably not the right book to convince heavily indoctrinated statists for the simple fact that it will just offend them. But, it's definitely the best book for self-autonomy, independent-minded people.

You can listen to the audio book for free at Adam's website: The Freedom Line.

[Neil Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was better than I had expected it to be, considering that it is basically libertarian propaganda. I agree with a lot of the criticism of government but not to such a degree that the state is the end all cause of every human problem, as seems to be the books point. I was however pleased to see some frequent criticisms of "the rich", which shows that the author does see a problem with wealth inequality. The statements about the fundamental rightness of property, not so much. Many claims are made in this book, backed up by general anecdotes rather than facts. I did come to feel that the author has a sincere vision of a better world that works for us all, though perhaps a little misguided, in my opinion due to the repeating sentiment that every and all evils are caused by the state, while upholding the virtues of a competitive money economy. All criticism of capitalist economics is suspiciously omitted, even when inequality and exploitation of the poor is being talked about. Instead, everything is assumed to be the fault of "the state".

[Tom McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to discover another way of thinking, if you have been questioning what true Liberty is. This is a gateway to another way of life, which I have already been leading, but many others that haven't had the awakening, will find this very helpful.

[Greyweather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and compelling overview of the arguments in favor of a stateless society

[Josh Carter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grew up since my libertarian phase in 2016.

[Edward · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star because I can't give zero. It is almost 100 pages of rambling stream of consciousness screed whose claims are never substantiated, often conflicts with itself, loses its train of thought mid-paragraph (often mid-sentence), and belies a complete ignorance of every topic. It reads like an amalgam of every chat room and online forum at that time, and as such its one use is as a checklist to identify the opinions of the dissatisfied; though it offers zero solutions. Ben Franklin once described someone's writing as being able to, "Hurt weak minds if it had been published." This certainly falls into such a category. To the extent it resonates with angry folks who do not look any deeper than their anger it will cause damage, and will certainly set back any libertarian movement to the extent it is internalized within that movement.

[Dylan Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes a clear and concise case for living in a world without governments. The author briefly touches on all major areas that people light be concerned about, like how things like defense, finance, education, health, and transportation can be taken care of without the state. He also makes the moral case that even if things could be done well by a government, it is always immoral to do so because the state necessarily uses force to carry out their ends. While this book does not dive too deep into philosophical waters, it is a good primer to anyone wanting to begin exploring these ideas.

[Alex Gruenenfelder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, the book does propose good and interesting ideas. However, I have a number of issues with it. These follow:

When it comes to the topic of punishment, Kokesh does not seem to see much of any purpose in it and this can have negative implications. His complete hatred of government also leads to him taking part in anti-gun control conspiracy theories in problematic manner. He also seems to endorse anti-vaxxers in one section and other medical conspiracy theories.

If one takes these into account and takes them with a grain of salt, the book provides interesting ideas and starts a good conversation.

[Amar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled upon this book at the right time. If Freedom is one of your core values this is a must read. The author covers intricate details of Freedom and what it could mean in various forms across the boarders, with no boarders.

I have questioned some of the rules we as humans have set for ourself for our existence in the process of evolution, but these rules make no sense and rob you of your freedom and happiness!

[Anne Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is, essentially, a manifesto. My biggest objection to it is the unending stating of opinion without any supporting facts, citations, or statistics. The positions stated are clearly the opinions of the author. I have no problem with an author stating his opinions, but putting them forth as factual with no supporting evidence doesn't hold a lot of weight with me. It would be good if the author could go back, do a bit of research, and show supporting documentation for his assertions.

[Comeoutandplay_ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a libertarian. And while I'm well aware with the issues this essay brought up, I think the explanation on why we have such systems in the first place tends to be overly simplistic. And of course, this essay also didn't consider the difference in cultures (that was influenced in turn by the climate & geographical feature from which it sprouted), that can throw a wrench and ruin everything this idealistic approach set up.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short primer.

[Jaime A Rosales · Rating 4 out of 5]

?

Interesting ideas, though there are some generalizations that need to be backed by numbers of data. Overall interesting and thought provoking.

[Cip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is this how the future should look like?

[Eric Rising · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book actually but enjoyed it.

[Cal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t remember when I read this, but I’ll never forget reading it. Parroting here—but this should be a required read. I have a signed copy. Kokesh is awesome. He gets it.

[Ricardo Suave · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have many difference of opinion with Mr. Kokesh It goes without saying that his arguments, frustrations, and concerns are anything but arbitrary. Yes the government at every level has massive corruption that accompanies it, absolutely this is a truth that only an ignorant Liberal or someone on the payroll would try to refute. We see every day how people of power use their title, position, or influence to further their cause regardless of their mission statement to uphold the constitution. Freedom does not only a great job of showing the unfortunate truth but expounds on how peaceful and voluntary interactions are key to addressing these issues. While I agree on the facts of corruption and agree that more of the government poison is not the answer I will say I’m not bought on his vision of change. Which in my opinion does not take anything away from the book. He points out the problems and admitting there are problem is the first step in change. I believe that my ability to freely interact with my fellow citizen in a voluntary consensual relationship is not just a step forward but absolutely necessary however being someone who does believe in the constitution I do believe in Thomas Paine’s philosophy of government being that under very strict and limited roles the government is a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. Long Live The Republic!

[Raf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve listened to Adam Kokesh’s podcast a few times several years ago. He can be pretty intense at times but I can definitely see his passion in promoting liberty and making a case against the state. While I don’t agree with him on everything, I certainly respect his opinions. This short book outlines how the author believes the state has taken over almost all areas of our lives including healthcare, wage laws, war, intellectual property, etc... There are some compelling arguments the author makes, most of which ties to how the state operates against the concept of voluntary action and uses force to dictate and enforce laws and control aspects of people’s lives. If you are into politics, political philosophy, libertarianism, or just curious, this book is for you.

[John Meagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to what freedom truly means. Explains the problems with statism and why good ideas don't need to be imposed with force and coercion. Despite whatever euphemisms government "officials" may use, war is still murder and taxation is still theft. You aren't free just because you've been repeatedly told so. Goes into many of the major philosophies and ideas behind how a peaceful, voluntary society could function in a short and easy to consume format. Should be read by anyone who equates the word "anarchy" with chaos and overturned burning cars.

[Mattheus Guttenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a decent job expressing the attitude and philosophy of libertarian anarchism. The book has strong opinions but doesn't give justifications for them. I happen to agree with the conclusion, but the author delivers all the major points rather tactlessly and in a cursory manner. A reader unfamiliar with the author's libertarian philosophy will find his delivery brash and unaccommodating. Kokesh described this pamphlet as a "red pill for liberty;" I see it more as a blunt cudgel.

[Grahm Eberhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the author's wishes to reach a utopian voluntary society are admirable, this book isn't so much a guide on how to get there as a list of grievances against governments. It makes lots of claims without citing a single source and argues in circles without offering any sort of solutions.