Libertarianism

The Libertarian Brand

by Laurence M. Vance March 1, 2022

While U.S. presidential elections are held every four years, U.S. senators serve a six-year term, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected every two years. A midterm election is an election where the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for election, but the president is not. These elections always occur two ...

Raising a Standard to Achieve Liberty

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 2021

One of the things that distinguish libertarians from non-libertarians is that we libertarians know that we are not free. Non-libertarians are still convinced that they are free. That’s one reason why non-libertarians are befuddled by libertarians. When they ask us what we are all about, we sometimes respond that we are about bringing liberty to America. That ...

Four Libertarian Principles to Guide Childcare Policy

by Laurence M. Vance June 25, 2021

Just as many conservatives believe that the federal government should have an education policy, so many conservatives believe that the federal government should have a childcare policy. A case in point was an event held last March by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) titled “Should Conservatives Favor Child Allowances?,” as well as a recent ...

Frank Chodorov’s Peaceful, Persistent Revolution, Part 1

by Wendy McElroy June 1, 2021

Part 1 | Part 2 It is easy to imagine the libertarian icon Murray Rothbard (1926–1995) modeling himself on his mentor, the Old Right icon Frank A. Chodorov (1887–1966), in the same manner as Chodorov undoubtedly looked to his mentor, Albert Jay Nock (1870–1945). As a young grad student Rothbard stumbled across Chodorov’s pamphlet Taxation Is Robbery. His reaction: ...

Carl Watner, RIP

by Wendy McElroy December 16, 2020

It is with deep sorrow that I announce the death of Carl Watner, who was the primary hand in founding the modern Voluntaryist movement in the early 1980s. He worked tirelessly and without complaint, day in and day out for decades, expressing his principles through his prolific writing, his  character, and his actions. I will never meet his like ...

Libertarianism and Boycotts

by Wendy McElroy November 3, 2020

“There oughta be a law” has become the default position for those seeking social change, and mainstream libertarianism is beginning to forget effective non-legal, non-violent strategies from the past. A powerful one is the boycott. The term “boycott” was coined in 1880 by the Irish Home Rule leader Charles Stewart Parnell to describe a campaign of social and economic ostracism ...

Unmasking Paul Krugman’s Misrepresentation of Ayn Rand

by Richard M. Ebeling October 28, 2020

“How Many Americans Will Ayn Rand Kill?” When New York Times columnist Paul Krugman’s article for October 22, 2020 was first posted on the internet that was the title of his piece. Someone at The Times must have had second thoughts about it, because now if you download Krugman’s piece the title has been changed to,

Cryptocurrency and Libertarianism

by Wendy McElroy September 8, 2020

“The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson The impact of cryptocurrency on libertarianism has been profound, especially among the younger generation. To many, the appeal is a mystery because they view crypto as a scam or a delusion of the madding crowd. Austrian economists invoke the ...

Is Libertarianism Immoral?

by Laurence M. Vance August 1, 2020

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun,” said the wisest man who ever lived in the book of Ecclesiastes. Although King Solomon wasn’t writing about libertarianism, what he wrote certainly applies to critics of libertarianism. While ...

Herbert Spencer on Equal Liberty and the Free Society

by Richard M. Ebeling April 27, 2020

Social, political and economic crises, including those connected with a viral pandemic, absorb so much of our attention that it is easy to miss or forget anniversaries marking when famous figures may have been born or had earlier passed away. In this case, April 27th marks the 200th birthday of British classical liberal and advocate of laissez-faire, Herbert Spencer, ...

Not Losing Sight of the Classical Liberal Ideal

by Richard M. Ebeling January 8, 2020

In the midst of the Second World War, the famous Austrian-born economist Joseph A. Schumpeter (1883-1950), published his famous book, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy (1942). He asked the question, “Can Capitalism Survive?” He answered, “No.” He expected some form of socialism, dictatorial or “democratic,” to supersede the private market economy in postwar America. He was proven wrong. Postwar American ...

Unlibertarian Libertarianism

by Laurence M. Vance December 1, 2019

Just like liberals, conservatives, progressives, populists, and constitutionalists — but certainly not as bad — libertarians are not always consistent when it comes to libertarianism. In fact, what some libertarians propose is unlibertarian libertarianism. Libertarianism Libertarianism is the philosophy that says that people should be free from individual, societal, or government interference to live their lives any way they desire, pursue ...