Libertarianism Defended

Tibor R. Machan is R. C. Hoiles Professor of Business Ethics and Free Enterprise at Chapman University in Orange, California, USA. He teaches at Chapman University's Argyros School of Business and Economics and is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California, USA.

• Contents: Preface; Introduction. Individualism and Liberty: Is it responsible to be free?; The principles of the declaration: here to stay?; Justice, Self and Natural Rights; Individualism and the vitality of community life; Economics and human values; Finding the rational man; A positive libertarian view of government; Libertarianism and atomistic individualism. Libertarianism Per Se: Anarchists and minarchists: allies after all?; Robert Nozick and the libertarian alternative; Will technology make us free?; How critical is critical legal studies?; Should you apologize?; Between parent and child; Should hazardous goods be banned?. Hard and Soft Statism: The ideology of death that will not die; Libertarianism and conservatism; Socialism redux on the horizon; Two philosophers skeptical of negative liberty; Does libertarianism imply the welfare state?; Democracy in public affairs and corporate management. Conclusion: Dependence of equality on liberty; Why agreement isn't enough; Against Fairness; Epilogue. Index.

'In Libertarianism Defended, Tibor Machan has once again demonstrated that he is one of the most important and significant living libertarian philosophers.This book belongs in the library of anyone who understands that there is a philosophical dimension to public policy debate.' Nicholas Capaldi, Loyola University New Orleans 'Machan is one of the few modern philosophers who stands against the Rawlsian presumption of social equality with a moral argument: that no one should be a slave, even to society. Moral arguments drive human destiny. Machan is pointing to the most important claim, that human flourishing cannot exist without individual liberty.' Professor Joe Cobb, Economist 'Machan has the rare ability to see both forests and trees: he has written persuasively on discrete aspects of politics and also on "big-picture" political philosophy. In this timely new book he does some of both. He offers an insightful and comprehensive analysis of libertarianism, its defenders, and its critics, and he also shows how these arguments bear on concrete political and social issues.' Aeon J. Skoble, Bridgewater State College, USA 'For decades, Tibor Machan has been exploring and explaining the ideas of liberty to both the layman and the academic. Libertarianism Defended proves once again that Machan understands freedom better than Hayek, Rothbard, or even Mises. The novice will find a consistent and thorough introduction to liberty; the scholar will find a sophisticated thinker who has answers to some of the most forceful arguments against freedom. Believers will be comforted, the curious will find answers, and critics ignore Machan at their peril.' Timothy Sandefur, Staff Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation, and Contributing Editor, Liberty Magazine