Editor’s Pick. Written by Robert Higgs. As a rule, libertarians incline toward wishful thinking. They constantly pluck little events, statements, and movies from the flow of life and cry out, “Eureka! Libertarianism is on the march!” With some of my friends, this tendency is so marked that I have become amused by its recurrent expression—well,…
Category: Against Leviathan
The State: Crown Jewel of Human Social Organization
Editor’s Pick. Written by Robert Higgs. Since the earliest stage of human history (say, the time of Cain and Abel), human beings have been homicidal maniacs. Yet, for untold ages, something was missing, something with the capacity to raise their murderous mania to truly magnificent heights. Only very late in human history—perhaps 10,000 years ago…
Don’t Rely on a Quack Doctor
Written by Robert Higgs for Independent.org. A man goes to his doctor for a routine checkup. The doctor performs a perfunctory examination and informs him that unless he receives an experimental treatment the doctor has devised, he will soon become disabled. “What’s it cost, Doc?” the man asks. “Well, unfortunately it’s not cheap, Mr. Smith,…
What’s Immoral for the Private Goose Is Moral for the Government Gander?
Written by Robert Higgs for Independent.org. Why do so many people consider certain actions to be immoral if taken by private persons, but not immoral—perhaps even morally praiseworthy—if taken by government officials? One possibility is that people have become accustomed to government officials’ taking certain actions (e.g., getting income by insisting that people either hand…
Political Problems Have Only One Real Solution
Written by Robert Higgs for Independent.org. Eldridge Cleaver famously declared, “You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.” Although I did not agree with this sentiment in its original context, it has more definite applicability in regard to what one might think of as “solving political problems.” Notice, first, that politics…
Legitimacy
Written by Robert Higgs for The Independent Institute. What is the difference between a government and a criminal gang or protection racket such as the mafia? In a word, it is legitimacy. In practice, this vague notion suggests that people view the government—its institutional composition, its personnel, and its conduct—as morally acceptable or proper, whereas…
Freedom: Because It Works or Because It’s Right?
Written by Robert Higgs for The Independent Institute. Libertarians divide into two broad classes: those who espouse a free society because it gives better results than an unfree society, and those who espouse a free society because they believe that it is wrong to deny or suppress a person’s right to be free (unless, of…
Love, Liberty, and the State
Written by Robert Higgs for The Beacon. Love takes many forms—in personal relations, in work and other creative endeavors, in charity toward the needy, in spiritual commitments that give deeper meaning to life amid its inevitable challenges and losses. Love gives us a reason to continue despite discouragements and difficulties, to keep trying to make…