I thought Basic Economics from Thomas Sowell was a great read, an the road to serfdom was ok. But the Introduction to Austrian Economics by the Mises institute was a hard slog because it was full of principals but I feel lacked explanation in the real world. I hope it wasn't just me ???? Theres a heap of others too, interestingly The free Market Capitalists survival guide was insightful, and loved anything from John Pugsley.
hey kids! wanna write a book on libertarianism? great! all you need is: common sense, regard for personal freed, and a title that has "Liberty" in it.
On history of the movement, the best is Doherty's Radicals for Capitalism. For libertarian fiction, the best is either Rand's Anthem or Orwell's 1984. For economics, clearly Mises's Human Action is the one. For libertarian philosophy, I'd recommend Rothbard's For a New Liberty and Linda & Morris Tannehill's The Market for Liberty. (I also highly recommend checking out Harry Browne's LP speeches.) Finally, for ethics, I'd say Rothbard's The Ethics of Liberty. See also Bastiat, Spooner, and Paul.
This individual's choices are not "the top five" libertarian books, they are his favorites. When choosing the top several, one should choose the most influential, not one's personal favorites.
I would argue the Atlas Shrugged should be on here. Although it does not have any empirical backing to the reasons that libertarian views appear superior, it does outline the moral philosophy that many libertarians adhere to. I would say it is the gateway book to libertarianism, and many libertarians can attribute their initial interest in the ideas to this book.
20.Rothard-the case against the fed 21. Joseph T. salerno-money:sound and unsound 22 thomas sowell-economic facts and fallacies 23-walter block-defending the undefendable
10. peter schiff-how an economy grows and why it crashed, 11. Ludwig Von Mises-human action, 12. Henry hazlitt-economics in one lesson 13.-Robert P. Murphy-the politically incorrect guide to capitalism 14. Thomas sowell-basic economics (all volumes) 15.-burtom fulsom-new deal or raw deal? 16. ron paul-end the fed 17.-Hunter lewis-where keynes went wrong 18.-murray rothbard-mysteries of banking 19. murray rothbard-the history of money and banking in the united states
My top 23 libertarian books SOLELY on economics (not theory or the constitution) are (not in particular order): 1. G. edward griffen-The Creature from Jekyll Island, 2.-eustace mullins-secrets of the federal reserve, 3. murray rothbard-what has the government done to our money?.4 murray rothbard-America's great depression,5.-jim powell-FDR's Folly,6.-Amity Schlaes-The forgotten man,7.-thomas dilorenzo-how capitalism saved Amerca,8-thomas woods-meltdown,9.-Fiedrich Hayek-the road to serfdom
1. For a New Liberty by Murray N. Rothbard, 2. Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth 3. The Use of Knowledge in Society by Hayek 4. Socialism by Ludwig von Mises 5. Reread these all a few times, then read some more Rothbard, Mises, Spooner, Menger and Bastiat.
I would add "Progress and Poverty", 1879, by Henry George. He puts together the French Physiocrats originators of "Laissez Faire" along with Smith,Paine, Mill, and Ricardo into the best book on economics ever printed. It is as relevant today as when written.
@utubehayter I have! It is an interesting and difficult challenge to reconcile all the different flavors of libertarians. In my view, Rothbard was more ideologically consistent, but Friedman is more practical. Likewise, you have CATO, which is more reformist/constitutionalist/Chicago but Mises Institute is more Anarcho-Capitalist/Austrian. You also have the gold standard question, IP law, flat/fair/no tax etc. But these debates indicate that we are thinkers and not drones.
Why you are congratulating (apparently) yourself that your most mindless attackers were ...well.. mindless? I mean, you should already know that those that call libertarians - drones understand nothing.
@utubehayter I wouldn't say its self-congratulatory to know one's strengths. Such as it is, I don't worry too much about what statists/socialists/cronies call libertarians, I am more concerned with exposing the failure or the moral bankruptcy of bad policies and presenting viable, "bottom-up", privately owned or operated solutions to perceived problems. Friedman, above all else, was practical in his approach, which was based on real world examples, where others often dealt in theory only.
Hah.. and what about the impractical things that Friedman advocated? You know he was a socialist on Roads, adjudication of disputes, police, national defense and money.. right? They say one rotten apple will spoil the entire bushell. In the same way, the few bad ideas that he had - have been detrimental to the good ones he had.
@utubehayter Purity is for religious doctrine and metallurgy, I don't find it terribly useful for political discourse. As Rothbard correctly noted, one ought to side with those with whom one agrees 90% of the time, not break off over the 10% on that which one doesn't. Such as it is, it would be comparatively easier to implement something like ending the drug war or lowering trade barriers before we get to a dissolved state, zero taxes and private courts. One must walk before one can run.
Do you suppose a rape victim should urge the rapist to be "gentle", because that option is more likely to work would reduce the pain and harm, as compared to just fighting it off with all you got? Its more practical you see. And of course you have to be free from as much of the harm before you become free from the rapists grasp.
As far as the drug war is concerned I am not against it.. I just hope the declare war on all eatable substances so that people can realize what the principle is.
@utubehayter First of all, I don't believe urging a rapist to be gentle, rather than clawing his eyes will be more effective. Maybe it would be, having never been a rapist nor a rape victim, I couldn't say. But let us compare apples with apples, shall we? We are talking about policies which either protect or diminish freedom. An all or nothing approach seldom wins. Dripping water does not hollow a stone through overwhelming force, but by falling often.
You are claiming that your "policies" are protecting freedom. I suppose if you think we are already free.. then your approach would work. Problem is ... we are NOT free. You don't work with your rapist to protect your bodily integrity - You fight him whichever way you can. Gradualism in the fight for freedom is analogous to gradualism in fighting a rapist.
@utubehayter Free in what sense? Not all freedoms are the same, not all are under attack. It is not a black and white issue of being free or not, but many shades of gray on many particular issues. Gays, as law relates to their sexuality, are far more free now than ever...still not as free as Straights, but leaps and bounds ahead of where they were just a few decades ago. Blacks and women, with regards to voting, are more free now than before, but these changes took time.
@utubehayter Fighting "Any way you can" also includes gradual change. As much as I would like all trade barriers lifted, all drugs legalized, all non defensive wars ended and all government privileges abolished, I cannot expect these things to happen over night. So I am happy when I hear about Marijuana decriminalization, medical use legalized and more and more ballot initiatives to fully legalize. Putting on a Guevara Beret and taking an all or nothing approach solves very little.
If gradualists just kept fighting the status-quo, it would be a foolish strategy.. but I would give them credit for at least trying. But in practice, Friedman was arguing against freedom in money. CATO and Reason have launched attacks on Ron Paul as soon as he started doing a bit better and garnering more attention.
There are legitimate concerns beyond drug legalization for libertarians and there is a great difference between pot-smoking republicans and libertarians.
We don't need to explain liberty to people. We need to explain economics to them. Since libertarians propose to use economics rather than politics to manage society, we need people to understand that poor people have market power, and cannot simply be trampled by rich people. Everyone who opposes libertarianism fails to understand that. THAT is what we need them to understand.
Thus, I suggest Economics in One Lesson. It's an inexpensive book. You can afford to hand them out to friends like cand
Not all libertarians care about economics (unfortunately, in my opinion). But also, there's other fields that we need libertarians in, like psychology and sociology
@nelsonrn "poor people have market power, and cannot simply be trampled by rich people."
Well put. It can be frustrating to try to explain that people don't get rich in a vaccuum, that they are not isolated from the rest of society and can't just do evil as they please without the market (the people) reacting against them. The rich get rich by providing a service or product that benefits the poorer masses of society at lower prices.
Ditto on Hazlitt's book. I gave my copy away. Wish I hadn't.
@utubehayter - I have pondered the issue of the Kochs putting a cap on polycentrism in the Libertarian movement for some time, and I would like to know more about the beef the Mises Institute and the "Kochtopus" (as Konkin put it) have with each other.
I am unfamiliar with it overall but is the gist of it that the Kochs basically encourage people to work within the political system itself and water down any radical views they may have?
According to Rothbard, the great benefactor... you know who, had a paradigm shift in his head and decided that Mises was intolerable and too extreme and must be marginalized in favor of Friedmanites with some Hayek fused in. It was when Lew Rockwell decided to create Mises institute, he was ordered not to do it.... by you know who. And that is how it started. I think there are some Rothbard lectures where he talks about this.
I would have to go with The Probability Broach. Great piece of fiction. The graphic novel that's out online is pretty good also. I have yet to read the entire franchise, but from what I read from Broach, it's an interesting look at what a fully libertarian society would look like. Certainly helped in giving me the image, and hopefully it's one we can achieve.
@tommyzDad I'm inclined to say yes. Both Heinlein and L. Neil Smith are sci-fi writers and both have libertarian views. Don't know if it's fully accurate since I haven't been able to read Heinlein, but my gut says yes.
Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments - Benjamin Constant
The Man Versus the State - Herbert Spencer
Liberalism - Ludwig von Mises
The State - Anthony de Jasay (if not his very expensive 'Against Politics')
The Fatal Conceit - FA Hayek
All of the above can be found online for free, except for Hayek's, which costs something like $10 in paperback. Barnett's Structure of Liberty and the Independent Institute's The Voluntary City also deserve more readers.
Very, very interesting. Was expecting the obvious, and pleasantly surprised.
Never been a huge fan of On Liberty, and though I haven't finished Humboldt's book, I find Benjamin Constant's "Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments" an easier read and much more powerful. Structure of Liberty is fantastic but difficult to find at an affordable price. Norms of Liberty is something I've been meaning to pick up, and heard some good things about Robust Political Economy.
Very, very interesting. Was expecting the obvious, and pleasantly surprised.
Never been a huge fan of On Liberty, and though I haven't finished Humboldt's book, I find Benjamin Constant's "Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments" an easier read and much more powerful. Structure of Liberty is fantastic but difficult to find at an affordable price. Norms of Liberty is something I've been meaning to pick up, and heard some good things about Robust Political Economy.
The Use of Knowledge in Society is so amazing! As long as that was listed in the top five I am not too worried about the others listed. (nor have I read the other four)
'Norms of Liberty' is a good choice. The other ones are marginal at best. A list of the top five libertarian books without Ludwig von Mises is a joke.
@j4ck2234 Mill was no socialist... socialists used Mill's ideas to further themselves, but all of libertarian economics and hence modern libertarian politics is based on utilitarianism.
I don't remember much of his writings but I read him at the time I became a commie and agreed with a lot he had to say. I guess there were just a lot of really bad ideas floating around at the time. (His notion of establishing an expert council of ultimate moral authority is particularly creepy)
+didn't he call himself a socialist later on? That certainly seems to be where his ideas on the structuring of society would have led him eventually.
+economics is a value free science and libertarian politics is to me at least as much based on the ethics of non-angression as it is utilitarian....Well in reality the libertarian party is of course a middle of the road party of the, as Rothbard would say, non communist left - full of disgruntled republican statists....Wayne Allen Root and Bob Barr, are you fucking kidding me?..
@j4ck2234 DTGTF by Hoppe is mindblowing but it's more of conservative libertarian rather than libertarian. They should have mentioned Morris and Linda Tannehill's "Market for Liberty"
I don't think being socially conservative makes one necessarily less libertarian. Depends on how you're using the term I guess. I find myself getting more and more conservative and more and more radical in my libertarian views. (if that is still possible lol)
Remember guys, CATO follows Milton Friedman. Friedman is good, but Rothbard and him were intellectual rivals....even though they agreed more than they disagreed. Thus, CATO will rarely mention any Austrian economist with the exception of Hayek. They follow the Chicago School of Economics.
@frionelhero But this wasn't done by the Cato Institute, this was done by IHS. Rothbard was one of the founders of the Cato Institute (he even gave it its name), but there was a bad split there and Crane-Koch chose to look in different directions.
IHS is another ball of wax. Great seminars, not as radical as they need to be.
@ShmuelSpade Oh my bad. I thought that IHS was a subsidiary of CATO. And I know about the Rothbard split up...in fact, I have a video on my channel with Lew Rockwell and Tom Woods discussing the whole event.
@StatelessLiberty Can you see why your comment here is ironic? You want this list to feature the authors on every other random youtube-libertarian's list for the sake of variety? lol. I bet you've read one, maybe two of the texts in this list.. but here you are criticizing it. Such is life on the internet.
@vNorilor When someone puts forward "Top Five Libertarian Books" they're not making a recommendation, they're listing the top most notable/influential libertarian books. If they had titled it "5 highly recommended libertarian books" then my criticism would be invalid.
I'm not saying the books chosen are bad, or even that the authors I mentioned are better, just that (excluding Hayek) the books mentioned aren't particularly famous.
@StatelessLiberty Haha, it explicitly says "Below are his recommendations" in the description. Davis is recommending books based on quality / importance, not popularity. I think you just wish they had used a different title, which is understandable.
Defending the Undefendable by Walter Block is a pretty good book. It is applying Libertarian ideals to odd topics like pimps, ticket scalpers, slum lords, and so on.
Locke's Two Treatises on Government, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, and For a New Liberty by Murray Rothbard are practically required reading for new libertarians.
@vNorilor In my view, you can't talk about Libertarianism without mentioning Rothbard. Whether you agree with him or not, Rothbard has been one of the most influential figures in economics, history and philosophy. It seems to me that they are ignoring him because he was controversial, and more radical than some people at LearnLiberty. If you "GUYS" want to soften liberty, you are doing it wrong!
@juanmisimo Surely you mean you can't talk about *the history* of libertarianism without mentioning Rothbard. There are a variety of justifications for libertarian conclusions. The stronger version of what you said would be ridiculous. Remember, Davies is recommending what he thinks are the five best or most important books, not which are important historically. Have you considered that Murray isn't here because Davies simply believes those listed are better? Radicals always feel persecuted.
@vNorilor I never said this was about history. It's quite clear this is about his opinion on the most "important" Libertarian books. It just seems to me that HIS opinion is based on softened down Libertarianism, not a BROADER view. Even considering his utilitarian and minarchist leanings, it's definitely sad to see that he has in fact ignored one of the most > important < figures, just for the sake of preserving his biased views on Libertarianism. Not for the sake of actually being objective.
@juanmisimo Your reply is almost unreal. His opinion wouldn't be "based on" softened libertarianism, his opinion would BE softened libertarianism. Then you misuse the concept of broadness, implying that people who think this or that radical thinker is wrong are being narrow. And for your crescendo, you claim that since Murray didn't make Davies' top 5 list, the latter is biased! The fact that a given text was important to xyz libertarians doesn't mean it was any good! The list is about quality.
@juanmisimo The best part about this performance of yours is that you're the biased party. You're so butthurt that a libertarian didn't include The Exalted Murray N. Rothbard in his top 5 list that you were almost speechless (see your original comment). And here you are, as if speaking directly into a mirror, accusing others of failing to be objective. It's all good, though - cranky Rothbardian ideologues are only common here in internet-land. The rest of the world is safe.
@vNorilor I would have included Classical liberals and Libertarians.Unlike your best friend Davis who is generalizing the joke minarchism is, into Libertarianism itself. Stop attacking people personally, and see reality as it is. Your buddy doesn't include people that may offend his lesser degree of statism. Even though I may disagree with Hayek's or Mises' minarchism, I ACKNOWLEDGE their importance in the Libertarian movement .Whereas Davis only acknowledges his pseudo libertarian view.
@juanmisimo You are inconsolable. This is a list of five books, not a lecture on all relevant scholarship. Do you understand that this is how I can tell you're butthurt? You're so upset that The Exalted Murray N. Rothbard didn't make this small list that you're mischaracterizing the video wholesale. The fact that Murray didn't make 1-5 doesn't mean he isn't #6. You have no idea how Davies actually feels re: Rothbard, you're just too butthurt to relax and take the list for what it is.
@juanmisimo Additionally, it is amazing to me that you don't think classical liberalism is represented here. Should I just type "huge lol" again? You are an ideologue. Stay on the internet - it's where you belong.
@vNorilor You seem to not know what the hell you are talking about. You are defending Davies without much knowledge on who these authors even are. It would have been clearly obvious if you knew. i can't tell you much clearly, I find Davies list a joke. A joke which you are defending for the sake of it. Even with Rothbard in it, he is missing Libertarian masterpieces that outshine the pieces of crap he posted. Keep defending his terrible list like a groupie, I could care less.
@juanmisimo Haha, back to mises.org with you. Yes, Davies' list could only be defended for "the sake of it", and it contains only "pieces of crap". I understand that you've read 2-5 pdfs on the Mises Institute's website and everyone there gave you the impression that you if you just did that you would understand economics and political theory, but the world outside of that warm ideological womb isn't going to treat you very well. Like I said, stick to youtube. lol
@vNorilor Ironic that you are the one that replied to my comment, Mr Youtube. You clearly portray yourself as someone that doesn't know much, your replies really show that. It seems to me that you have not read many Libertarian works, perhaps a pdf from the mises institute will serve you well. Or perhaps you should also read what you are defending.
@H1TMANactual You are partly correct, Rothbard was an anarcho-capitalist, However, you ignore the important fact that anarchism = libertarianism. A Libertarian is " an advocate of liberty". The only way to maximize liberty, is for the state to be completely absent. There is not a middle ground in which there can be a "limited government". You are either FREE, or you are NOT. I would therefore argue that Rothbard was one of the best examples of a Libertarian figure.
The lack of Frederic Bastiat and Murray N. Rothbard disappoints me.
theJMBgamer 3 days ago
Well might as well put mine in:
1. Mill's On Liberty
2. Sartre's Existentialism is a Humanism
3. Hayek's The Use Of Knowledge in Society
4. Rothbard's For A New Liberty
5. David Friedman's The Machinery of Freedom
philbelanger2 4 days ago
I thought Basic Economics from Thomas Sowell was a great read, an the road to serfdom was ok. But the Introduction to Austrian Economics by the Mises institute was a hard slog because it was full of principals but I feel lacked explanation in the real world. I hope it wasn't just me ???? Theres a heap of others too, interestingly The free Market Capitalists survival guide was insightful, and loved anything from John Pugsley.
bosshoggett 4 days ago
My top 5 are:
1. Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
2. How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes by Peter Schiff
3. The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek
4. Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman
5. Free to Choose by Milton Friedman
cluther1114 6 days ago
hey kids! wanna write a book on libertarianism? great! all you need is: common sense, regard for personal freed, and a title that has "Liberty" in it.
MuskratandRatman 1 month ago
No Rothbard??
ChronJohn91 1 month ago in playlist Philosophy Playlist
Human Action, by Ludwig von Mises. <3
ElasticGiraffe 1 month ago
Also
The Law
A New Liberty
Atlas Shrugged
r29 1 month ago
On history of the movement, the best is Doherty's Radicals for Capitalism. For libertarian fiction, the best is either Rand's Anthem or Orwell's 1984. For economics, clearly Mises's Human Action is the one. For libertarian philosophy, I'd recommend Rothbard's For a New Liberty and Linda & Morris Tannehill's The Market for Liberty. (I also highly recommend checking out Harry Browne's LP speeches.) Finally, for ethics, I'd say Rothbard's The Ethics of Liberty. See also Bastiat, Spooner, and Paul.
allixpeeke 1 month ago
@IntellectualPopulist I bought Anarchy, State, & Utopia last night lol
CloverfieldMonster95 2 months ago in playlist More videos from LearnLiberty
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Lehcs1 2 months ago
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Lehcs1 2 months ago
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Lehcs1 2 months ago
From the standpoint of influence on the general population, Atlas Shrugged, hands down. #2 for me is Free to Choose by Milton & Rose.
djg4312 2 months ago
Surprised no Atlas Shrugged.
nyctoo 2 months ago
maybe not one of the best but Liberty Defined by Ron Paul was pretty good
sodafountan 3 months ago
No Human Action?
Bardhylius 3 months ago
This individual's choices are not "the top five" libertarian books, they are his favorites. When choosing the top several, one should choose the most influential, not one's personal favorites.
1. J.S. Mill on Liberty
2. Capitalism and Freedom
3. Anarchy, State, & Utopia
4. The Constitution of Liberty
5. Atlas Shrugged
IntellectualPopulist 4 months ago 7
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@IntellectualPopulist Shukran :D
jonescomplete 2 months ago in playlist More videos from LearnLiberty
@IntellectualPopulist thank you for the list. sadly the only book i have on your list right now is Atlas shrugged.
contradiction617 2 months ago
Hoppe!
truevoice08 4 months ago
I would argue the Atlas Shrugged should be on here. Although it does not have any empirical backing to the reasons that libertarian views appear superior, it does outline the moral philosophy that many libertarians adhere to. I would say it is the gateway book to libertarianism, and many libertarians can attribute their initial interest in the ideas to this book.
ridaderek 4 months ago
20.Rothard-the case against the fed 21. Joseph T. salerno-money:sound and unsound 22 thomas sowell-economic facts and fallacies 23-walter block-defending the undefendable
jhk863 4 months ago
10. peter schiff-how an economy grows and why it crashed, 11. Ludwig Von Mises-human action, 12. Henry hazlitt-economics in one lesson 13.-Robert P. Murphy-the politically incorrect guide to capitalism 14. Thomas sowell-basic economics (all volumes) 15.-burtom fulsom-new deal or raw deal? 16. ron paul-end the fed 17.-Hunter lewis-where keynes went wrong 18.-murray rothbard-mysteries of banking 19. murray rothbard-the history of money and banking in the united states
jhk863 4 months ago
My top 23 libertarian books SOLELY on economics (not theory or the constitution) are (not in particular order): 1. G. edward griffen-The Creature from Jekyll Island, 2.-eustace mullins-secrets of the federal reserve, 3. murray rothbard-what has the government done to our money?.4 murray rothbard-America's great depression,5.-jim powell-FDR's Folly,6.-Amity Schlaes-The forgotten man,7.-thomas dilorenzo-how capitalism saved Amerca,8-thomas woods-meltdown,9.-Fiedrich Hayek-the road to serfdom
jhk863 4 months ago
1. For a New Liberty by Murray N. Rothbard, 2. Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth 3. The Use of Knowledge in Society by Hayek 4. Socialism by Ludwig von Mises 5. Reread these all a few times, then read some more Rothbard, Mises, Spooner, Menger and Bastiat.
AlecTaylor6 4 months ago 3
I would add "Progress and Poverty", 1879, by Henry George. He puts together the French Physiocrats originators of "Laissez Faire" along with Smith,Paine, Mill, and Ricardo into the best book on economics ever printed. It is as relevant today as when written.
land4citizens 4 months ago
Could have at least said a few words about each of the choices.
spamdude1 5 months ago
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qwerty94376 5 months ago
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mises? rothbard? bastiat? sheesh.
CommSense 5 months ago
mises? rothbard? bastiat? sheesh.
CommSense 5 months ago
Sorry but Bastiat's the law has got to be in there.
pablocoon 5 months ago 13
One work that really focused many of the arguments for freedom is The Law by Frederic Bastiat.
I'm a Friedman fiend I must confess, but there are also some great books by Thomas Sowell. Its a tough task to narrow them down to 5 though.
kev3d 5 months ago
@kev3d
Friedman was my gateway libertarian drug too. Have you gotten any Rothbard, yet?
utubehayter 5 months ago
@utubehayter I have! It is an interesting and difficult challenge to reconcile all the different flavors of libertarians. In my view, Rothbard was more ideologically consistent, but Friedman is more practical. Likewise, you have CATO, which is more reformist/constitutionalist/Chicago but Mises Institute is more Anarcho-Capitalist/Austrian. You also have the gold standard question, IP law, flat/fair/no tax etc. But these debates indicate that we are thinkers and not drones.
kev3d 5 months ago
@kev3d
Why you are congratulating (apparently) yourself that your most mindless attackers were ...well.. mindless? I mean, you should already know that those that call libertarians - drones understand nothing.
Friedman was practical? About what?
utubehayter 5 months ago
@utubehayter I wouldn't say its self-congratulatory to know one's strengths. Such as it is, I don't worry too much about what statists/socialists/cronies call libertarians, I am more concerned with exposing the failure or the moral bankruptcy of bad policies and presenting viable, "bottom-up", privately owned or operated solutions to perceived problems. Friedman, above all else, was practical in his approach, which was based on real world examples, where others often dealt in theory only.
kev3d 5 months ago
@kev3d
Hah.. and what about the impractical things that Friedman advocated? You know he was a socialist on Roads, adjudication of disputes, police, national defense and money.. right? They say one rotten apple will spoil the entire bushell. In the same way, the few bad ideas that he had - have been detrimental to the good ones he had.
utubehayter 5 months ago
@utubehayter Purity is for religious doctrine and metallurgy, I don't find it terribly useful for political discourse. As Rothbard correctly noted, one ought to side with those with whom one agrees 90% of the time, not break off over the 10% on that which one doesn't. Such as it is, it would be comparatively easier to implement something like ending the drug war or lowering trade barriers before we get to a dissolved state, zero taxes and private courts. One must walk before one can run.
kev3d 5 months ago
@kev3d
Do you suppose a rape victim should urge the rapist to be "gentle", because that option is more likely to work would reduce the pain and harm, as compared to just fighting it off with all you got? Its more practical you see. And of course you have to be free from as much of the harm before you become free from the rapists grasp.
As far as the drug war is concerned I am not against it.. I just hope the declare war on all eatable substances so that people can realize what the principle is.
utubehayter 5 months ago
@utubehayter First of all, I don't believe urging a rapist to be gentle, rather than clawing his eyes will be more effective. Maybe it would be, having never been a rapist nor a rape victim, I couldn't say. But let us compare apples with apples, shall we? We are talking about policies which either protect or diminish freedom. An all or nothing approach seldom wins. Dripping water does not hollow a stone through overwhelming force, but by falling often.
kev3d 5 months ago
@kev3d
You are claiming that your "policies" are protecting freedom. I suppose if you think we are already free.. then your approach would work. Problem is ... we are NOT free. You don't work with your rapist to protect your bodily integrity - You fight him whichever way you can. Gradualism in the fight for freedom is analogous to gradualism in fighting a rapist.
utubehayter 4 months ago
@utubehayter Free in what sense? Not all freedoms are the same, not all are under attack. It is not a black and white issue of being free or not, but many shades of gray on many particular issues. Gays, as law relates to their sexuality, are far more free now than ever...still not as free as Straights, but leaps and bounds ahead of where they were just a few decades ago. Blacks and women, with regards to voting, are more free now than before, but these changes took time.
kev3d 4 months ago
@utubehayter Fighting "Any way you can" also includes gradual change. As much as I would like all trade barriers lifted, all drugs legalized, all non defensive wars ended and all government privileges abolished, I cannot expect these things to happen over night. So I am happy when I hear about Marijuana decriminalization, medical use legalized and more and more ballot initiatives to fully legalize. Putting on a Guevara Beret and taking an all or nothing approach solves very little.
kev3d 4 months ago
@kev3d
If gradualists just kept fighting the status-quo, it would be a foolish strategy.. but I would give them credit for at least trying. But in practice, Friedman was arguing against freedom in money. CATO and Reason have launched attacks on Ron Paul as soon as he started doing a bit better and garnering more attention.
There are legitimate concerns beyond drug legalization for libertarians and there is a great difference between pot-smoking republicans and libertarians.
utubehayter 4 months ago
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kev3d 5 months ago
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kev3d 5 months ago
We don't need to explain liberty to people. We need to explain economics to them. Since libertarians propose to use economics rather than politics to manage society, we need people to understand that poor people have market power, and cannot simply be trampled by rich people. Everyone who opposes libertarianism fails to understand that. THAT is what we need them to understand.
Thus, I suggest Economics in One Lesson. It's an inexpensive book. You can afford to hand them out to friends like cand
nelsonrn 5 months ago
@nelsonrn
Not all libertarians care about economics (unfortunately, in my opinion). But also, there's other fields that we need libertarians in, like psychology and sociology
stealthswimmer 5 months ago
@nelsonrn "poor people have market power, and cannot simply be trampled by rich people."
Well put. It can be frustrating to try to explain that people don't get rich in a vaccuum, that they are not isolated from the rest of society and can't just do evil as they please without the market (the people) reacting against them. The rich get rich by providing a service or product that benefits the poorer masses of society at lower prices.
Ditto on Hazlitt's book. I gave my copy away. Wish I hadn't.
MrPloppy1 5 months ago
Bastiat - The Law. Liberalism - Mises.
Most importantly: For a New Liberty - Murray Rothbard.
sharperguy 5 months ago
Come on!
"How I found Freedom in an Unfree World" - Harry Browne
Wayanka 5 months ago
Liberty defined?
BenHughesStudios 5 months ago
Awe... Why leave out some of the more radical factions of Libertarianism?
-Samual Edward Konkin III
-Murray N. Rothbard
-David Friedman
These are some people that come to mind that will probably have an even greater influence on modern Libertarianism as the decades come by.
StateExempt 5 months ago
@StateExempt
Look up where LearnLiberty is based ... and then look up the term Kochtopus - that's why.
Konkin coined the term! Rothbard was "arch-enemy" and a Lew Rockwell collaborator. Why they left out David is still a question.
utubehayter 5 months ago
@utubehayter - I have pondered the issue of the Kochs putting a cap on polycentrism in the Libertarian movement for some time, and I would like to know more about the beef the Mises Institute and the "Kochtopus" (as Konkin put it) have with each other.
I am unfamiliar with it overall but is the gist of it that the Kochs basically encourage people to work within the political system itself and water down any radical views they may have?
StateExempt 4 months ago
In particular, where did the bad blood between Lew Rockwell and Cato + Reason Magazine start?
StateExempt 4 months ago
@StateExempt
According to Rothbard, the great benefactor... you know who, had a paradigm shift in his head and decided that Mises was intolerable and too extreme and must be marginalized in favor of Friedmanites with some Hayek fused in. It was when Lew Rockwell decided to create Mises institute, he was ordered not to do it.... by you know who. And that is how it started. I think there are some Rothbard lectures where he talks about this.
utubehayter 4 months ago
@utubehayter - I am definitely checking this out, thanks man!
StateExempt 4 months ago
How about "The Law" by Bastiat?
Guitarlicks4free 5 months ago
Does this guy blink?
deanneugebauer 5 months ago
@deanneugebauer
I don't know, I was listening to what he was saying.
myusernameisluc 5 months ago
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myusernameisluc 5 months ago
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myusernameisluc 5 months ago
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Ayn Rand should be locked on that list
Mas0o0n 5 months ago
For a New Liberty, Murray N. Rothbard
Wesker1982 5 months ago
I would have to go with The Probability Broach. Great piece of fiction. The graphic novel that's out online is pretty good also. I have yet to read the entire franchise, but from what I read from Broach, it's an interesting look at what a fully libertarian society would look like. Certainly helped in giving me the image, and hopefully it's one we can achieve.
ethanmx2 5 months ago
@ethanmx2 Thanks for the heads-up on this!
Would you say his works are "Heinlein-ian?"
tommyzDad 5 months ago
@tommyzDad I'm inclined to say yes. Both Heinlein and L. Neil Smith are sci-fi writers and both have libertarian views. Don't know if it's fully accurate since I haven't been able to read Heinlein, but my gut says yes.
ethanmx2 5 months ago
Top five of Freedom:
Two Treatises of Government - John Locke
The Open Society and Its Enemies - Karl Popper
The Fatal Conceit - Friedrich Hayek
Anarchy, State and Utopia - Robert Nozick
Capitalism and Freedom - Milton Friedman
By a brazilian libertarian
=)
EvandroLuisAlves 5 months ago
My own tentative list:
Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments - Benjamin Constant
The Man Versus the State - Herbert Spencer
Liberalism - Ludwig von Mises
The State - Anthony de Jasay (if not his very expensive 'Against Politics')
The Fatal Conceit - FA Hayek
All of the above can be found online for free, except for Hayek's, which costs something like $10 in paperback. Barnett's Structure of Liberty and the Independent Institute's The Voluntary City also deserve more readers.
Cometgreen 5 months ago
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Very, very interesting. Was expecting the obvious, and pleasantly surprised.
Never been a huge fan of On Liberty, and though I haven't finished Humboldt's book, I find Benjamin Constant's "Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments" an easier read and much more powerful. Structure of Liberty is fantastic but difficult to find at an affordable price. Norms of Liberty is something I've been meaning to pick up, and heard some good things about Robust Political Economy.
Cometgreen 5 months ago
Very, very interesting. Was expecting the obvious, and pleasantly surprised.
Never been a huge fan of On Liberty, and though I haven't finished Humboldt's book, I find Benjamin Constant's "Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments" an easier read and much more powerful. Structure of Liberty is fantastic but difficult to find at an affordable price. Norms of Liberty is something I've been meaning to pick up, and heard some good things about Robust Political Economy.
Cometgreen 5 months ago
Capitalism and freedom- Friedman...
Why no Friedman?!?
TheSAMathematician 5 months ago
@TheSAMathematician I think it's because this is an hayekian/austrian channel, so Friedman is out.
evilsceptic 5 months ago
the ethics of private property son
lb11rb 5 months ago
No Hunter S Thompson on the list? He was one of the greatest libertine counter-culturalists since Jesus Christ. Even Nixon admired HST's style
Grambino2012 5 months ago
The Use of Knowledge in Society is so amazing! As long as that was listed in the top five I am not too worried about the others listed. (nor have I read the other four)
CatoELYounger 5 months ago
Atlas Shrugged
duke1duke1 5 months ago
What about Dr. Miron's "A to Z"
FreakyKing2 5 months ago
It's his OPINION guys. Leave him be.
H1TMANactual 5 months ago 4
1.) On Liberty 2.) Capitalism & Freedom 3.) Anarchy, State, & Utopia 4.) The Fountainhead 5.) The Constitution of Liberty
IntellectualPopulist 5 months ago
'Norms of Liberty' is a good choice. The other ones are marginal at best. A list of the top five libertarian books without Ludwig von Mises is a joke.
Hawk999 5 months ago
lol no Rothbard but the 'utilitarian socialist' Mill?
Rothbard - Man Economy State + Power and Market + - For a new Liberty
Mises - Human Action
Higgs - Crisis and Leviathan
Hoppe - Democracy the God that Failed
+Hayek, Barnett and Humboldt are fine, i'll give you that.
j4ck2234 5 months ago 2
@j4ck2234 Mill was no socialist... socialists used Mill's ideas to further themselves, but all of libertarian economics and hence modern libertarian politics is based on utilitarianism.
IntellectualPopulist 5 months ago
@IntellectualPopulist
I don't remember much of his writings but I read him at the time I became a commie and agreed with a lot he had to say. I guess there were just a lot of really bad ideas floating around at the time. (His notion of establishing an expert council of ultimate moral authority is particularly creepy)
+didn't he call himself a socialist later on? That certainly seems to be where his ideas on the structuring of society would have led him eventually.
j4ck2234 5 months ago
@IntellectualPopulist
+ah I was just mocking the notion of a utilitarian socialist. There's not much wrong with utilitarianism. (see Mises on my list)
j4ck2234 5 months ago
@IntellectualPopulist
+economics is a value free science and libertarian politics is to me at least as much based on the ethics of non-angression as it is utilitarian....Well in reality the libertarian party is of course a middle of the road party of the, as Rothbard would say, non communist left - full of disgruntled republican statists....Wayne Allen Root and Bob Barr, are you fucking kidding me?..
j4ck2234 5 months ago
@j4ck2234 Im not a party libertarian
IntellectualPopulist 4 months ago
@j4ck2234 DTGTF by Hoppe is mindblowing but it's more of conservative libertarian rather than libertarian. They should have mentioned Morris and Linda Tannehill's "Market for Liberty"
truevoice08 5 months ago
@truevoice08
I don't think being socially conservative makes one necessarily less libertarian. Depends on how you're using the term I guess. I find myself getting more and more conservative and more and more radical in my libertarian views. (if that is still possible lol)
j4ck2234 5 months ago
@j4ck2234 Point taken. You can have a conservative libertarian book that is better in its libertarianism element than a purely libertarian book.
truevoice08 5 months ago
my favorite is any history book
Tcassa89 5 months ago
Ayn Rand wasn't a libertarian.
aevans03 5 months ago 6
Who is John Galt?
Farmboy1927 5 months ago
What a childish reaction, getting upset that he didn't pick from among your favorites.
BloodskullMannoroth 5 months ago
Lysander Spooner - No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority,
Murray Rothbard - For The New Liberty
Ludvig von Mises - Human Action
John Locke - Two Treaties on Government
The Myth of National Defense - Hans Herman Hoppe
Those 5 are imo the most crucial for libertarianism.
GompCelticPL 5 months ago
No Mises? :(
SPJ1993343 5 months ago
Remember guys, CATO follows Milton Friedman. Friedman is good, but Rothbard and him were intellectual rivals....even though they agreed more than they disagreed. Thus, CATO will rarely mention any Austrian economist with the exception of Hayek. They follow the Chicago School of Economics.
frionelhero 5 months ago
@frionelhero But this wasn't done by the Cato Institute, this was done by IHS. Rothbard was one of the founders of the Cato Institute (he even gave it its name), but there was a bad split there and Crane-Koch chose to look in different directions.
IHS is another ball of wax. Great seminars, not as radical as they need to be.
ShmuelSpade 5 months ago
@ShmuelSpade Oh my bad. I thought that IHS was a subsidiary of CATO. And I know about the Rothbard split up...in fact, I have a video on my channel with Lew Rockwell and Tom Woods discussing the whole event.
frionelhero 5 months ago
No Friedman? No Rothbard? No Mises? No Rand? Some Lysander Spooner would have made for a bit a variety as well.
StatelessLiberty 5 months ago 46
@StatelessLiberty
It is GMU based group.. take a hint why there is no Rothbard and Mises. Can you say Kochtopus?!
utubehayter 5 months ago
@StatelessLiberty Can you see why your comment here is ironic? You want this list to feature the authors on every other random youtube-libertarian's list for the sake of variety? lol. I bet you've read one, maybe two of the texts in this list.. but here you are criticizing it. Such is life on the internet.
vNorilor 4 months ago
@vNorilor When someone puts forward "Top Five Libertarian Books" they're not making a recommendation, they're listing the top most notable/influential libertarian books. If they had titled it "5 highly recommended libertarian books" then my criticism would be invalid.
I'm not saying the books chosen are bad, or even that the authors I mentioned are better, just that (excluding Hayek) the books mentioned aren't particularly famous.
StatelessLiberty 4 months ago
@StatelessLiberty Haha, it explicitly says "Below are his recommendations" in the description. Davis is recommending books based on quality / importance, not popularity. I think you just wish they had used a different title, which is understandable.
vNorilor 4 months ago
Defending the Undefendable by Walter Block is a pretty good book. It is applying Libertarian ideals to odd topics like pimps, ticket scalpers, slum lords, and so on.
natepepin09 5 months ago
Locke's Two Treatises on Government, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, and For a New Liberty by Murray Rothbard are practically required reading for new libertarians.
DangerousDan762 5 months ago
The Libertarian Manifesto by Rothbard??? How is that not on the list?
DigitalShaolin 5 months ago
this video suked becuz ron pual didnt dominate the list
jukokerguy 5 months ago
No Rothbard? Really.....?!
juanmisimo 5 months ago 56
@juanmisimo Rothbard is a negative influence. I'm not sure you guys understand that not everyone worships him like the Mises Institute folk do.
vNorilor 4 months ago
@vNorilor In my view, you can't talk about Libertarianism without mentioning Rothbard. Whether you agree with him or not, Rothbard has been one of the most influential figures in economics, history and philosophy. It seems to me that they are ignoring him because he was controversial, and more radical than some people at LearnLiberty. If you "GUYS" want to soften liberty, you are doing it wrong!
juanmisimo 4 months ago
@juanmisimo Surely you mean you can't talk about *the history* of libertarianism without mentioning Rothbard. There are a variety of justifications for libertarian conclusions. The stronger version of what you said would be ridiculous. Remember, Davies is recommending what he thinks are the five best or most important books, not which are important historically. Have you considered that Murray isn't here because Davies simply believes those listed are better? Radicals always feel persecuted.
vNorilor 4 months ago
@vNorilor I never said this was about history. It's quite clear this is about his opinion on the most "important" Libertarian books. It just seems to me that HIS opinion is based on softened down Libertarianism, not a BROADER view. Even considering his utilitarian and minarchist leanings, it's definitely sad to see that he has in fact ignored one of the most > important < figures, just for the sake of preserving his biased views on Libertarianism. Not for the sake of actually being objective.
juanmisimo 4 months ago
@juanmisimo Your reply is almost unreal. His opinion wouldn't be "based on" softened libertarianism, his opinion would BE softened libertarianism. Then you misuse the concept of broadness, implying that people who think this or that radical thinker is wrong are being narrow. And for your crescendo, you claim that since Murray didn't make Davies' top 5 list, the latter is biased! The fact that a given text was important to xyz libertarians doesn't mean it was any good! The list is about quality.
vNorilor 4 months ago
@juanmisimo The best part about this performance of yours is that you're the biased party. You're so butthurt that a libertarian didn't include The Exalted Murray N. Rothbard in his top 5 list that you were almost speechless (see your original comment). And here you are, as if speaking directly into a mirror, accusing others of failing to be objective. It's all good, though - cranky Rothbardian ideologues are only common here in internet-land. The rest of the world is safe.
vNorilor 4 months ago
@vNorilor I would have included Classical liberals and Libertarians.Unlike your best friend Davis who is generalizing the joke minarchism is, into Libertarianism itself. Stop attacking people personally, and see reality as it is. Your buddy doesn't include people that may offend his lesser degree of statism. Even though I may disagree with Hayek's or Mises' minarchism, I ACKNOWLEDGE their importance in the Libertarian movement .Whereas Davis only acknowledges his pseudo libertarian view.
juanmisimo 4 months ago
@juanmisimo You are inconsolable. This is a list of five books, not a lecture on all relevant scholarship. Do you understand that this is how I can tell you're butthurt? You're so upset that The Exalted Murray N. Rothbard didn't make this small list that you're mischaracterizing the video wholesale. The fact that Murray didn't make 1-5 doesn't mean he isn't #6. You have no idea how Davies actually feels re: Rothbard, you're just too butthurt to relax and take the list for what it is.
vNorilor 4 months ago
@juanmisimo Additionally, it is amazing to me that you don't think classical liberalism is represented here. Should I just type "huge lol" again? You are an ideologue. Stay on the internet - it's where you belong.
vNorilor 4 months ago
@vNorilor You seem to not know what the hell you are talking about. You are defending Davies without much knowledge on who these authors even are. It would have been clearly obvious if you knew. i can't tell you much clearly, I find Davies list a joke. A joke which you are defending for the sake of it. Even with Rothbard in it, he is missing Libertarian masterpieces that outshine the pieces of crap he posted. Keep defending his terrible list like a groupie, I could care less.
juanmisimo 4 months ago
@juanmisimo Haha, back to mises.org with you. Yes, Davies' list could only be defended for "the sake of it", and it contains only "pieces of crap". I understand that you've read 2-5 pdfs on the Mises Institute's website and everyone there gave you the impression that you if you just did that you would understand economics and political theory, but the world outside of that warm ideological womb isn't going to treat you very well. Like I said, stick to youtube. lol
vNorilor 4 months ago
@vNorilor Ironic that you are the one that replied to my comment, Mr Youtube. You clearly portray yourself as someone that doesn't know much, your replies really show that. It seems to me that you have not read many Libertarian works, perhaps a pdf from the mises institute will serve you well. Or perhaps you should also read what you are defending.
juanmisimo 4 months ago
@juanmisimo Rothbard is an anarchist not a Libertarian.
H1TMANactual 3 months ago
@H1TMANactual You are partly correct, Rothbard was an anarcho-capitalist, However, you ignore the important fact that anarchism = libertarianism. A Libertarian is " an advocate of liberty". The only way to maximize liberty, is for the state to be completely absent. There is not a middle ground in which there can be a "limited government". You are either FREE, or you are NOT. I would therefore argue that Rothbard was one of the best examples of a Libertarian figure.
juanmisimo 3 months ago 2