Libertarianism

Jane Cobden: Carrying On Her Father’s Good Work

by Sheldon Richman November 1, 2014

Among libertarians and classical liberals, the name Richard Cobden (1804–1865) evokes admiration and applause. His activities — and successes — on behalf of freedom, free markets, and government retrenchment are legendary. Most famously, he co-founded — with John Bright — the Anti–Corn Law League, which successfully campaigned for repeal of the import tariffs on grain. Those trade restrictions had ...

The Libertarian Angle: Separating School & State

by Future of Freedom Foundation October 27, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: why need to end the state's involvement in the education of our children. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

TGIF: Leonard P. Liggio (1933–2014)

by Sheldon Richman October 17, 2014

I lost one of my favorite teachers this week, as did so many other libertarians, not to mention  the freedom movement as a whole. Leonard P. Liggio, 81, died after a period of declining health. Leonard was a major influence on my worldview during the nearly 40 years I knew him. While I had not seen him much in ...

Bartolomé de las Casas: All Mankind Is One

by Wendy McElroy October 1, 2014

The 16th-century Spanish historian and Dominican Bartolomé de las Casas (1484–1566) fought against the violent colonization of and enslavement in the New World. He spoke against imperialism and for universal human rights. “All mankind is one,” he insisted; every individual possessed an identical, natural right to liberty. Las Casas was born in Seville at a fortunate time. The Italian Renaissance ...

The Libertarian Angle: The Role of Government in a Free Society

by Future of Freedom Foundation September 29, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: a recent debate with Dinesh D'Souza. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

TGIF: Ownership and Ideas

by Sheldon Richman September 12, 2014

Like many libertarians, I’ve learned a lot from Murray Rothbard on a wide variety of subjects. Of course, no one gets everything right, especially someone as intellectually ambitious, multidisciplinary, and prolific as Rothbard. Nevertheless, reading the work of the man who left such a mark on the modern libertarian movement is as profitable as it is pleasurable. While rereading

The Libertarian Angle: Labor Day

by Future of Freedom Foundation September 2, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: Labor Day. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

The Calling: Libertarians, Victim Blaming, and Structural Racism

by Steven Horwitz August 28, 2014

The events in Ferguson, Missouri have opened up yet another national conversation on race. This time, however, something is different. The images of a mostly white police department dressed in military outfits using military weaponry and vehicles while attempting to control a largely black crowd protesting the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer has ...

The Libertarian Angle: Ferguson, Missouri, and the Militarization of the Cops

by Future of Freedom Foundation August 18, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: Ferguson and the militarization of local police forces. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

The Libertarian Angle: Regime Change in Cuba

by Future of Freedom Foundation August 5, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: the decades long sparring contest with Cuba. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

TGIF: I Can’t Help That I’m a Libertarian

by Sheldon Richman August 1, 2014

It’s not easy being a libertarian. I am not looking for sympathy when I say that. I just mean to point out that rejecting the conventional wisdom on virtually (do I really need this adverb?) every political question, current and historical, can be wearying. Life could be so much simpler if it were otherwise. No doubt about that. I ...

The Libertarian Angle: The Drug War

by Future of Freedom Foundation July 28, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: the move to end the drug war. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.