Sheldon Richman | The Libertarian Institute

TGIF: Is Self-reliance a Libertarian Ideal?

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 17, 2020 | Economics, Libertarianism, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

An Associated Press article published a few days ago reported on disagreements among libertarians over what, if anything, the government may properly do about the coronavirus pandemic. My purpose here is not to comment on the quotes from the various libertarians. I prefer to focus on just one sentence by the author, Hillel Italie. It's this one: "Libertarian principles of self-reliance and minimal government have been around for centuries." Only the part I emphasized -- the reference to self-reliance -- interests me today. At first, that term may seen unexceptional -- even to many...

The Szasz Centennary

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 15, 2020 | Blog, Justice, Libertarianism

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Thomas S. Szasz (1920-2012), the most unappreciated libertarian in modern times. Beginning with his book The Myth of Mental Illness in 1961 and proceeding through dozens of books and hundreds of articles, Szasz, a Hungary-born physician and psychiatrist, spent more than half a century analyzing and debunking the myriad violations of individual liberty committed in the name of health, public health, and mental health. He dubbed the union of government and medicine The Therapeutic State. In this cause, Szasz, who was also a historian and...

Why Politicians Do What They Do

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 9, 2020 | Blog, Justice, Libertarianism

I don't think politicians relish closing down the economy, nor do I think they'll be eager to do so in the future. For one thing, it's contrary to their interests. They do what they do because when all you have is a blunt instrument, every problem looks like something that can only be solved with a blunt instrument.

A Dog that Didn’t Bark

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 7, 2020 | Blog, Economics

Not so long ago we might have been seeing public-service announcements like this: For the duration of the pandemic, please use the internet and your cell phone for essential purposes only. It is imperative that we keep the bandwidth open for emergency use. Thank you for your cooperation.

Dangerous Times

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 3, 2020 | Blog, Libertarianism

We live in dangerous times -- and not just medically and economically. Government executives all over the world -- with a few honorable exceptions -- are exercising autocratic power, that is, power without legislative or constitutional authority, in the name of stopping the spread of the coronavirus. With respect to these orders, due process is absent. All around the U.S., governors and local authorities have decreed shutdowns of arbitrarily defined "non-essential" businesses and lock-downs. Curfews have been imposed. The content of these orders may make sense, depending on the locale and...

Flunk the State!

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 1, 2020 | Blog, Economics, Libertarianism

Knowledgeable people (Bill Gates among them) had warned for years that governments were ill-prepared for serious pandemics. The US government was not just ill-prepared; it also maintained regulatory obstacles -- in the name of public health -- to others who were willing and able to act. I'd say the case for statelessness looks better all the time.

No Case for Closed Borders

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 30, 2020 | Blog, Economics, Libertarianism

Anyone who thinks the coronavirus pandemic destroys the case for open borders hasn't thought the matter through terribly far. Bryan Caplan explains here. Just to give a taste, in the name of excluding viruses from our shores, the government would have to stop immigration even when no pandemic was in progress since pandemics can't be counted on to announce themselves in advance. Moreover, tourism, commercial visits, and trade would have to be abolished too. And -- yikes! -- so would American travel abroad unless Americans were willing to leave home and never return. One last thing: since we...

An Approach to Collective Problems

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 28, 2020 | Blog, Economics, Libertarianism

Libertarian political philosophy, as a practical matter, does not offer a prefabricated set of solutions to collective problems. Rather, it's a liberty-based approach to ameliorating collective problems that begins by acknowledging (among other things) the dispersion, incompleteness, and tacit dimension of relevant knowledge. Thus, the approach favors decentralization, competition (in ideas and services), and choice about what trade-offs to make and with whom to cooperate. Perhaps ironically, to succeed, individualism requires and produces the collective intelligence that only markets embody.