The Great Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard was the chief architect of modern anarcho-capitalism, an uncompromising vision of a stateless society rooted in private property and voluntary association. He built upon classical liberal thought, particularly the ideas of John Locke and the individualist anarchism of 19th-century thinkers like Lysander Spooner and Benjamin Tucker. However, unlike his predecessors, Murray fused these ideas with the Austrian School of economics, providing a rigorous theoretical foundation for the abolition of the state.
His magnum opus, Man, Economy, and State (1962), initially conceived as a textbook on Austrian economics, evolved into a groundbreaking treatise that systematically laid out the principles of praxeology—the science of human action, as developed by Ludwig von Mises. In this work, Murray extended Mises’s insights on the inefficiencies and coercion inherent in state intervention, arguing that only a system based entirely on voluntary transactions and private property could maximize individual liberty and economic efficiency.
Murray’s seminal book, The Ethics of Liberty (1982), further elaborated his libertarian philosophy by grounding it in natural law. He provided a radical yet logically consistent argument for self-ownership and absolute property rights, rejecting any form of state authority as an infringement on individual freedom. In this work, he also tackled controversial subjects such as children’s rights, punishment theory, and war, demonstrating the application of libertarian ethics to real-world problems.
Additionally, Murray was a fierce critic of statism and political compromises that diluted libertarian principles. His essays and books, including For a New Liberty (1973), articulated a vision of pure libertarianism that rejected the notion of a minimal state (minarchism) and instead proposed that all governmental functions, including law and security, could be provided through voluntary market mechanisms.
Murray was a pivotal figure in the resurgence of the Austrian School of economics in the 20th century. As a devoted student of Ludwig von Mises, he advanced the Austrian understanding of monetary theory, business cycles, and state intervention in markets. His work helped revitalize Austrian economics, making it a viable alternative to Keynesian and neoclassical schools of thought.
In America’s Great
Article from LewRockwell
LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.
