Libertarianism

The Virtues of Libertarianism

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 15, 2014

The principle that undergirds the libertarian philosophy is what is known as the nonaggression principle. It holds that people should be free to live their lives in any way they choose, making whatever choices they wish to make, but with one condition: that their conduct must be peaceful (and nonfraudulent). Thus, libertarianism condemns any action that involves the initiation of ...

FFF Webinar: What Social Animals Owe to Each Other (video)

by Sheldon Richman May 15, 2014

On May 14, 2014, FFF vice president and editor Sheldon Richman will hosted a free, interactive online webinar entitled “What Social Animals Owe to Each Other.” This was an interactive experience with Sheldon and was limited to 24 participants.

The Libertarian Angle: Drug War and World War II

by Future of Freedom Foundation May 12, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman talk about the drug war and World War II. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

TGIF: Rothbard’s The Ethics of Liberty: Still Worthy after All These Years

by Sheldon Richman May 9, 2014

In 1982 Murray Rothbard published his magnum opus in political philosophy, The Ethics of Liberty. It is a tour de force, a remarkable presentation of the moral case for political freedom. What a complement to Man, Economy, and State and Power and Market, Rothbard’s towering contributions to our understanding of free markets! The first ...

TGIF: Libertarianism Rightly Conceived

by Sheldon Richman May 2, 2014

The debate on thick and thin libertarianism continues, and that’s a good thing. Libertarians can only gain by the discussion. Often one comes to appreciate one’s own philosophy more fully in the crucible of intellectual argument. So I, for one, welcome the debate — so long as it is a real debate and not merely a series of unsupported denials ...

The Inextricable Link between Economic Freedom and Individual Liberty

by Walter Block May 2, 2014

NOTE: THIS TALK WAS DONE BY SKYPE. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ENCOUNTERED AUDIO RECORDING DIFFICULTIES DURING THE TALK THAT COULD NOT BE RESOLVED. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. On April 28, 2014 Walter Block presented the above speech, entitled "The Inextricable Link between Economic Freedom and Individual Liberty: Government Reduces Liberty through Economic Assault" as part of the ...

Libertarianism: The Moral and the Practical

by Sheldon Richman May 1, 2014

If I say that a government activity — “public” schooling, perhaps, or the war on selected drug merchants and users — helps turn the inner cities into hellholes and otherwise makes people’s lives miserable, is that a moral objection or a practical (utilitarian or generally consequentialist) objection? Some libertarians are inclined to say it’s a utilitarian objection, but I’ve long ...

The Libertarian Angle: Cliven Bundy and Gun Control

by Future of Freedom Foundation April 28, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the gun control and events at the Cliven Bundy ranch. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast https://libertarianangle.libsyn.com/.

TGIF: What Should Libertarians Do?

by Sheldon Richman April 25, 2014

If the libertarian movement is to be the vehicle — actually, collection of vehicles — for the advancement of liberty, then libertarians need to master the art of persuasion. That’s hardly news, but it’s easily forgotten. I start from the assumption that we don’t want merely to feel good by making hard-core libertarian declarations about abolishing this or that government ...

The Libertarian Angle: Our Libertarian Angle College Tour

by Future of Freedom Foundation April 14, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman talk about their just-completed tour where they took the Libertarian Angle live to college campuses in the Northeast. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

TGIF: In Praise of “Thick” Libertarianism

by Sheldon Richman April 4, 2014

I continue to have trouble believing that the libertarian philosophy is concerned only with the proper and improper uses of force. According to this view, the philosophy sets out a prohibition on the initiation of force and otherwise has nothing to say about anything else. (Fraud is conceived as an indirect form of force because, say, a deceptive seller obtains ...

Let’s Raise Our Vision

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 2014

There was once a time when religious liberty had never before been considered. Throughout history, people lived under political systems in which government and religion were combined. Since it was the system under which they had been born and raised and which existed all over the world, people just didn’t give any thought to an alternative. Then one day, ...