The Libertarian Party at Fifty Years
Libertarianism: John Hospers, the Libertarian Party’s 50th Anniversary, and Beyond
edited by C. Ronald Kimberling and Stan Oliver
John Hospers Philosophy Foundation, 2021
The Libertarian Party needs people to chronicle its history, and this book is an accessible source of information beginning with its founding days. As one institution in the perennial struggle of liberty versus power, libertarians must learn from the Party’s successes and failures. Although it is one of the longest continuously active political parties in US history, the LP has precious little to show for the effort. Initial successes have been replaced by stagnation despite a steady increase in the number of individuals who identify as libertarian and several high-profile candidates.
I am very optimistic about the prospects for liberty, and I do not discount the potential of the party as a vehicle to success. I can see encouraging signs in all corners of the world, mostly nonpolitical, and I certainly do not want to discourage anyone working in the trenches opposing statism. There has never been a better time for political campaigns that start with the delegitimization of government.
Many readers will be unfamiliar with the name of John Hospers, and the bulk of this book is not about him. He was a teacher and philosopher, a university professor, and a writer. He was interested in aesthetics, Objectivism, and political philosophy, and he authored eight books on philosophy (mostly on aesthetics), including Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow. Most noteworthy, he was a friend and confidant of Ayn Rand and the first presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, running in 1972!
I will review the contents of the book, present its general perspective, and briefly describe its contents. My biggest problem with the book is that it portrays the Objectivist-minarchist view of the state in a positive light and the Rothbardian anarcho-capitalist view in a negative light, and crucially, it criticizes Murray Rothbard’s position on the Cold War. While both sides agree on most issues, readers should not view this issue as isolated to foreign affairs, but rather as of utmost importance in terms of overall libertarian public policy strategy. I reserve my assessment and critical remarks about this the disagreement to the end of this review.
Review
The book offers informed commentary and some detailed analysis, but it is clearly not an attempt to be comprehensive about any of the issues suggested by the title. The first section looks back to the first standard bearer, philosophy teacher John Hospers. Short essays by Jack Wheeler, Dave Dyer, Ron Manners and philosopher Chris Matthew Sciabarra harken back to their early days of the Libertarian Party movement. This section is also a primary source of commentary on the Rothbard versus Objectivist divide on the Cold War within the party.
Section 2 is “Libertarianism in History,” a loosely connected set of six essays including a couple of minihistories, two policy experiences, an interview of Ronald Reagan, and an essay the role of history. Th
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