The Ethics of Liberty

The Ethics of Liberty
Paperback cover
Author(s)	Murray N. Rothbard
Country	United States
Subject(s)	Political philosophy, Ethics
Genre(s)	Non-fiction
Publisher	Humanities Press
Publication date	1982
Media type	Print
Pages	268
ISBN	0391023713
OCLC Number	7813705
Dewey Decimal	323.44/01 19
LC Classification	JC585 .R69 1982

The Ethics of Liberty, by American economist and historian Murray N. Rothbard, first published in 1982, is an exposition of the libertarian political position. It roots the case for freedom in the concept of natural rights and applies it to a host of practical problems.

Hans-Hermann Hoppe, who wrote the introduction to later editions of the book, has described the 273-page The Ethics of Liberty as Murray Rothbard's second magnum opus, the other being Man, Economy, and State.

Contents

Contents

Part I: Introduction: Natural Law 1. Natural Law and Reason 2. Natural Law as "Science" 3. Natural Law Versus Positive Law 4. Natural Law and Natural Rights 5. The Task of Political Philosophy Part II: A Theory of Liberty 6. A Crusoe Social Philosophy 7. Interpersonal Relations: Voluntary Exchange 8. Interpersonal Relations: Ownership and Aggression 9. Property and Criminality 10. The Problem of Land Theft 11. Land Monopoly, Past and Present 12. Self-Defense 13. Punishment and Proportionality 14. Children and Rights 15. "Human Rights" as Property Rights 16. Knowledge, True and False 17. Bribery 18. The Boycott 19. Property Rights and the Theory of Contracts 20. Lifeboat Situations 21. The "Rights" of Animals Part III: The State Versus Liberty 22. The Nature of the State 23. The Inner Contradictions of the State 24. The Moral Status of Relations to the State 25. On Relations Between States Part IV: Modern Alternative Theories of Liberty 26. Utilitarian Free-Market Economics Introduction: Utilitarian Social Philosophy The Unanimity and Compensation Principles Ludwig von Mises and "Value-Free" Laissez-Faire 27. Isaiah Berlin on Negative Freedom 28. F.A. Hayek and the Concept of Coercion 29. Robert Nozick and the Immaculate Conception of the State Part V: Toward a Theory of Strategy for Liberty 30. Toward a Theory of Strategy for Liberty Media:Example.ogg

Release history

• New York University Press. New York, N.Y. February 1, 2003. Paperback. ISBN 0-8147-7559-4
• New York University Press. New York, N.Y. May 1, 1998. Hardcover. ISBN 0-8147-7506-3
• Humanities Press. Atlantic Highlands, N.J. 1982. Hardcover. ISBN 0-391-02371-3

Links

• Full text at the Liberty Archive

• Resources page at Mises.org (including full text)
  • Audiobook read by Jeff Riggenbach
  • Introduction (PDF) (French edition)
  • Mises Daily excerpts
    • Introduction by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
    • Part I (Chapters 1-5) Introduction: Natural Law
    • Part II: A Theory of Liberty
      • Chapters 6-9 "A Crusoe Social Philosophy"
      • Chapters 10-11 "When Is a Land Title Criminal?"
      • Chapter 12 "Self-defense"
      • Chapter 13 "Punishment and Proportionality"
      • Chapter 14 "Children and Rights"
      • Chapter 15 "'Human Rights' as Property Rights"
      • Chapter 16 "Knowledge, True and False"
      • Chapter 17 "Bribery"
      • Chapter 18 "Boycott"
      • Chapter 19 "Property Rights and the Theory of Contracts"
      • Chapter 21 "The 'Rights' of Animals"
    • Part III (Chapters 22-25) The State versus Liberty
    • Part IV: Modern Alternative Theories of Liberty
      • Chapter 26 "Utilitarian Free-Market Economics"
      • Chapter 27 "Isaiah Berlin on Negative Freedom"
      • Chapter 28 "F.A. Hayek and the Concept of Coercion"
      • Chapter 29 "Robert Nozick and the Immaculate Conception of the State"
    • Part V (Chapter 30) "Toward a Theory of Strategy for Liberty"

• Articles, essays and reviews
  • "The Ethics of Adoption in Haiti: A Libertarian Approach " by Eric M. Staib, February 2010
  • Mises review: "The Ethics of Liberty" by David Gordon, 1999 (republished as Mises Daily here)
  • FEE review: "The Ethics of Liberty" by Sheldon Richman, 1998

• Other media
  • The Ethics of Liberty lecture by Roy A. Childs, Jr., Summer 1983

• Related courses
  • Libertarian Ethics Mises Academy course by David Gordon

• The Ethics of Liberty at Wikipedia

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