In Jan Narveson’s thought-provoking and elegantly-written The Libertarian Idea (1990), he discusses an admission by a Marxist, G.A. Cohen , of a serious problem with communal ownership of property. As Narveson notes (p. 68): “The problem for socialists, as Cohen observes, is how to have both the right of self-ownership ... and yet a right of
FRAMEWORK FOR ADVANCING TRANSATLANTIC ECONOMIC INTEGRATION BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Sounds ominous to me, and I’m sure it’ll be great fodder for the conspiracy-minded. S ummary from ASIL’s International Law in Brief : European Union and United States Summit: Framework Agreement (30 April 2007) Leaders of the
The following is an edited version of my recent post on a libertarian discussion list. I’ve often noted how Hoppe’s writings on libertarian ethics stress the importance of the “prior-later” distinction and the problems with the “latecomer” ethic. A few thoughts on this, which occurred to me while daydreaming earlier today. Much of it is redundant
From Rothbard’s August 11, 1984 letter to Tony Flood : Dear Tony: I read your letter in some distress. My my: a blend of mysticism and utilitarianism, holism and Buddhism, all this adds up to what a friend of mine would call “my second favorite thing.” My first favorite? Who knows—it’s a tie between a bunch of things: an example—being kicked in
Paleolibertarism: Il pensiero di Hans-Hermann Hoppe [ Paleolibertarianism: The Thought of Hans-Hermann Hoppe ], by Piero Vernaglione, was published just a few weeks ago in Italian. This 116 page book provides a brief description of Hoppe’s entire “system” of thought--property ethics, epistemology, failed economic systems (socialism and democracy),
A relentless theme in the commentary on Ron Paul is that he is not really a Republican, mainly because he dissents from the party on foreign policy. People now associate the Republican Party with crazed war mongering, massive military spending, and relentless conflict seeking, to the point even of a messianic global crusade on behalf of American
Humans have discovered the ethics of liberty over and over again throughout history. Of course, an ethical system for rational animals has to take account of the dynamic aspects of conflict, and not just zero sum scenarios. All other species in the world are not characterized after a vigorous a) capability and b) need, for owning and creating
I blogged elsewhere the “Palmer on Patents” post below a couple years ago. In the post, I mention a minor scandal back in 2003, when some of Cato’s scholars (Doug Bandow and Michael Krauss) came out in favor of restrictions on free trade based on the notion that reimportation of drugs would allow consumers to avoid some of the monopoly price
While IP may not stimulate true innovation and creativity, Hayek suggests that copyright might stimulate something more pernicious: the intellectual class. In “The Intellectuals and Socialism,” he writes: In the sense in which we are using the term, the intellectuals are in fact a fairly new phenomenon of history. Though nobody will regret that
[ Editor’s note: The Mises Institute presents the “voluntaryist constitution” as a thought experiment, and is not presented here as an ideological or political ideal. ] There have been a number of attempts to create the ideal constitution — one which enshrines liberty, autonomy, and property rights, while ensuring the highest degree of prosperity
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.