Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Read and listen as much as you want
  • Over 1 million titles
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • 7 days free trial, then €9.99/month
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Subscribe Now
Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

The Sphere and Duties of Government: The Limits of State Action

Duration
8H 36min
Language
English
Format
Category

Non-fiction

Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835) now lives under the shadow cast by his more famous brother Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859, naturalist, explorer, geographer and much else), but Wilhelm was an important figure in Prussian-German history in his own right. He contributed considerably through his work as a diplomat, educationalist (he was one of the principal founders of the Humboldt University of Berlin), philologist and linguist. Yet The Sphere and Duties of Government (originally titled The Limits of State Action) has proved to be one of his most enduring legacies. It dates, surprisingly, from 1791, which explains its comparatively youthful sense of idealism and its overtly liberal stance, which countered the existing stifling political and social views.

This is why it was never published in his lifetime, and only appeared in 1852 when Alexander, realising its importance, arranged for its publication. The purpose of the work, as Wilhelm von Humboldt expressed in his introduction, was ‘to discover the legitimate objects to which the energies of State organisations should be directed and define the limits within which those energies should be exercised’. Humboldt’s views and works became an important source for John Stuart Mill’s better-known work On Liberty which appeared in 1859 - five years after Humboldt’s book first appeared in English.

In short, the fundamental view of both was that the functions, and limits of government interference, were to be defined by ‘the prevention of harm to others’. This was a liberal view in the mid-19th-century world of Mill, but revolutionary in the closing decade of the 18th century. Humboldt considers his general topic in 16 chapters, beginning with the crucial overview: ‘Of the individual man, and the highest ends of his existence.’ He pursues his theme through ‘the solicitude of the state for the positive welfare of the citizen’, his personal security and his security ‘against foreign enemies’. He scrutinises subjects such as religion and ethics, the exercise of the judiciary and the role of punishment; and he even examines the welfare of minors and the less able. He concludes with the ‘practical application of the theory proposed’. As such, The Sphere and Duties of Government is an absorbing and questioning listen, and just as relevant today as controversy rages over the role and application of democracy versus other 21st-century forms of government, such as communism, totalitarianism, religious fundamentalism and those based on outright dictatorship.

© 2021 Ukemi Audiobooks from W. F. Howes Ltd (Audiobook): 9781004134489

Release date

Audiobook: March 22, 2021

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. The Open Society and Its Enemies: New One-Volume Edition Karl Popper
  2. The Communist Manifesto: The Text and the Historical Context Karl Marx
  3. Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge Karl Popper
  4. The Myth of the Framework: In Defence of Science and Rationality Karl Popper
  5. The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought Dennis C. Rasmussen
  6. A Brief History of Equality Thomas Piketty
  7. Language, Truth and Logic A. J. Ayer
  8. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding John Locke
  9. The Art of the Novel Milan Kundera
  10. The Origins of Totalitarianism Hannah Arendt
  11. Kant: A Very Short Introduction Roger Scruton
  12. Capital and Ideology Thomas Piketty
  13. Free Will Sam Harris
  14. Unended Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography: An Intellectual Autobiography Karl Popper
  15. Russia: The Story of War Gregory Carleton
  16. A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn
  17. The Long Hangover: Putin's New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past: Putin’s New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past Shaun Walker
  18. Whitehead’s The Function of Reason Alfred North Whitehead
  19. Populism: A Very Short Introduction Cas Mudde
  20. The Human Condition: Second Edition Hannah Arendt
  21. Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power Noam Chomsky
  22. The Spirit of Laws Baron de Montesquieu
  23. Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence on Morals and Happiness William Godwin
  24. The Dream of Reason, New Edition: A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance Anthony Gottlieb
  25. Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction A. C. Grayling
  26. The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 Christopher Clark
  27. Politics Aristotle
  28. The Indispensable Milton Friedman: Essays on Politics and Economics Dr. Lanny Ebenstein
  29. Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy, Weimar Centennial Edition Eric D. Weitz
  30. Utilitarianism/On Liberty Johnn Stuart Mill
  31. 1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder Arthur Herman
  32. Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction Jonathan Barnes
  33. The Force of Nonviolence: An Ethico-Political Bind Judith Butler
  34. Heidegger: A Very Short Introduction, 2nd edition Michael Inwood
  35. The Socratic Dialogues: Late Period: Volume 2: The Laws Plato
  36. The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith
  37. A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities Pierre-Simon Laplace
  38. The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of US Power Noam Chomsky
  39. Apology and Memorabilia Name Xenophon
  40. Hegel: A Very Short Introduction Peter Singer
  41. Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous George Berkeley

This is why you’ll love Storytel

  • Listen and read without limits

  • 800 000+ stories in 40 languages

  • Kids Mode (child-safe environment)

  • Cancel anytime

Unlimited stories, anytime
Time limited offer

Unlimited

Listen and read as much as you want

9.99 € /month
  • 1 account

  • Unlimited Access

  • Offline Mode

  • Kids Mode

  • Cancel anytime

Try now