Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2210

Review of Citadel, Market and Altar by Riqui Leon in Books for Libertarians Vol.III No.2,

February 1974

 

 

 

CITADEL, MARKET AND ALTAR

 

By Spencer Heath

 

Spencer Heath, who died ten years ago at the age of 87, was writing about the workings of a voluntary society as early as 1934. In this excel­lent but little-known work, published in 1957, he presents his particular and unique variety of Utopian vision. And vision is the right word for it; a view of the whole individual and his interactions at the societal level, taking in every aspect of human life from basic survival to creativity and the need for beauty and inspiration which Heath saw as man’s most noble manifestation.

 

In an implicit way, Heath tangles with the ultimate question —What is the meaning and purpose of life? And his answer was the enlightenment, growth and satisfaction of the individual, aspiring to a feeling of harmony and unity with his environment. The means toward fulfilling this elevated goal was liberty; for only in an atmosphere of maximum choice could human action have meaning.

 

 Heath creates a “natural science of society,” based upon contractual relationships among men, and these voluntary associations allow them the freedom to pursue ever higher, more productive and creative en­deavors.

 

  As an engineer (who was also a lawyer, manufacturer, horticulturist and social philosopher), his approach is that of the research scientist — sometimes tediously so, in translating mechanistic jargon to the field of human behavior. But this tendency to see the universe in terms of ratio reminds one that reason lies at the base of all natural phenomena. Those who find his careful analyses too painstaking can skip over them without losing the main thrust of his thesis. Personally, I found his definitions not only helpful but enlightening. For instance, the book’s title refers to the progress of society. The Citadel is Heath’s term for formal government, symbolizing the human need for protection and security, but almost in­evitably leading to tyranny, enslavement and war. Next the Market, where men free themselves from the tyranny of compulsory institutions and by exchanging goods and services on a contractual, voluntary basis, create a peaceful environment in which the Altar may flourish —the realm of the “intangibles of intellect, feeling and imagination, and with the spontaneous activities of scientific research and discovery; artistic creation.”

 

 Ideally, the protective function of the Citadel would be supported voluntarily by the Market and its coercive nature thereby eliminated. The logical extension of Heath’s premises is anarcho-capitalism, a term he never used. He was opposed to creating new terms or giving new mean­ings to old ones, using common words in what he called their operative significance. One can almost construct his treatise independently by reading the section on “The Meaning of Terms,” which is so concise in defining the principal abstract and concrete references to human thoughts and experiences that it may be his most valuable contribution to liber­tarian theory — libertarian being another word he didn’t employ.

 

 The greatest part of the book, however, is taken up with the practical considerations of how voluntary, contractual exchanges would be carried out in providing the myriad social and personal goods which people want: everything from public highways and recreational facilities to demunicipalizing the collection of garbage. Showing that the institution of private property is vital to the evolution of a peaceful society and how public or political administration always produces anti-social and destructive results, a system of private communities is outlined in which the indi­vidual is served instead of dominated, liberated instead of taxed and en­slaved — a system which was further explained and expanded upon by Heath’s grandson, Spencer H. MacCallum, in his The Art of Community.

 

 In reading Citadel, Market and Altar, there is the opportunity for more than an intellectual understanding of Heath’s socio-economic develop­ment. In projecting his vision of human freedom, creativity and nobility, Heath reveals his own beauty of mind and spirit. His goodwill and his avoidance of attributing sinister motives to those with divergent views (it is only their institutions which lead to evil ends) provide a model and an insight into the kind of character needed if peace and voluntarism are ever to come to pass. Reviewed by Riqui Leon / Philosophy (260 pages, indexed) / BFL Price $6