There are books every libertarian should read and books every libertarian has read, but those circles don’t perfectly overlap. here are 13 diverse book recommendations for well-rounded thinkers.
economic sophistry – frederic bastiat
You are reading: Best books on libertarianism
The great French liberal and economist Frederic Bastiat is best known for his pamphlet The Law, a scathing indictment of the threat socialism poses to justice and the rule of law. But he produced another great work of economic sophistry, a collection of essays meticulously exposing and ridiculing the economic fallacies committed by his fellow deputies in the French national assembly.
sophistry includes his satirical “petition from the manufacturers of candles, candles, lanterns… and in general of everything related to lighting” to the French legislature, asking the government to eliminate unfair foreign competition from a source of cheapest light: the sun.
Ahead of his time in many fields, he mercilessly demolished fallacious arguments for protectionism, socialism, and redistribution with wit, humor, and incisive analysis.
basic economics + applied economics – thomas sowell
Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics is one of the clearest introductions to economic thinking and how it can be applied to a host of real-world problems. don’t be intimidated by its brick-like dimensions: it is written with common sense and in plain language. it’s very readable and easy to digest in parts, if you don’t finish it in one sitting. If you get to the end and want more, don’t worry, you can continue “Thinking Beyond Stage One” with Sowell’s Applied Economics.
Beyond Politics: The Roots of Government Failure – Randy Simmons
Public choice is the most important branch of economics for understanding how and why governments work the way they do. public choice is essentially the science of political skepticism: using economic analysis to examine how the incentives of democracy guide the decision-making of politicians, bureaucrats, voters, and special interests.
Beyond Politics, by Randy Simmons, is the best and most accessible poll of public choice, explaining in clear, concrete terms what things government can’t do, and what the consequences are when it tries to do them anyway. .
the problem of political authority – michael huemer
In this text, philosopher Michael Huemer exposes the shaky foundations of government’s most basic premises. Carefully tracing the implications of basic moral principles that almost everyone accepts, Huemer shows that the authority of the state is a pipe dream: there is no way to get from the ethical rules that govern how individuals should treat each other to a system that empowers a few. few. people—“the state”—in the privileged moral position to issue coercive orders, while imposing on everyone else the moral duty to obey them. Huemer throws down the gauntlet and challenges the very notion of political authority and, with it, the special standard to which government actions are subjected.
See Also: How to Make the Perfect Photo Book | Shutterfly
the myth of the rational voter – bryan caplan
The main reason democracies choose bad policies is not selfishness, corruption or lobbyists: it is the voters themselves. Bryan Caplan documents the overwhelming empirical evidence that voters are not only ignorant of the most basic aspects of law, government, and economics, but are also actively irrational in their preferences. In other words, voters are not just wrong, they are passionately and systematically wrong.
Worse yet, Caplan shows that these problems are inherent in the democratic system: voters have no incentive to be rational, well-informed, or cool-headed, and politicians have every reason to stoke prejudice and exploit public opinion. voter ignorance. Limiting the scope of democratic power is the only sure way to limit the damage irrational voters can do.
the theory of moral sentiments – adam smith
Everyone knows Adam Smith’s masterpiece The Wealth of Nations, but his first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, is instrumental in laying the ethical, psychological, and sociological foundations for his later work in economics and philosophy. . Today, Adam Smith is frequently demonized as the patron saint of greed and selfishness, but moral sentiments show that Smith had a deep and nuanced understanding of human nature, our drives for virtue and vice, and the spirit and qualities of life. sympathies that help human beings to prosper.
This book, published in 1759, was far ahead of its time in many fields, heralding later developments in the social sciences, moral philosophy, and social psychology. but it is also packed with profound and practical insights for any student of human nature. If he finds Smith a bit intimidating on the first try, Russ Roberts’s book on How Adam Smith Can Change His Life is a brief and friendly introduction to some of the ideas about moral sentiments.
the god of the machine – isabel paterson
First published in 1943, The Machine God was one of four books to emerge in the depths of World War II, along with Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, F.A. Hayek’s Road to Serfdom and Rose Wilder Lane’s Discovery of Freedom, which launched the modern libertarian movement and helped turn the intellectual tide against collectivism.
At a time when socialism and fascism were conquering entire continents, Paterson established a defense of individualism, the free market, and limited government that remains powerful and timely to this day. By tracing the role of individual freedom in the rise and fall of civilizations, the book refocused discussion of human history on its true subject: the individual.
no betrayal: the constitution of no authority – lysander spooner
legal theorist lysander spooner wrote this devastating critique of the united states. constitution of 1867. remains one of the most thoughtful and forceful critics of the American government and federal power. Spooner illustrates why the constitution cannot have binding authority as a “contract” between “we the people.” at most, he argued, it could only bind and apply to people who were actually alive at the time of their adoption, and then only to those who explicitly consented to their adoption. therefore, breaking with the union of states “is not treason”.
no betrayal is also one of the most quotable individualist anarchist works. Any self-respecting anarchist knows Spooner’s terse indictment of the constitution by heart: “But if the constitution really is one thing or another, this much is certain: that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or it has been unable to prevent it. in any case, it is not fit to exist.”
radicals for capitalism – brian doherty
See Also: How the Icelandic Tradition of Jolabokaflod Can Transform Your Christmas Eve
radicals for capitalism is a heavy tome that summarizes centuries of classical liberal and libertarian history in a single book. Reason Magazine Senior Editor Brian Doherty goes to great lengths to capture the various influences and factions within the broader libertarian movement. This book is an essential part of any collection of American political history, and friends of freedom will find much to learn and enjoy in the eyewitness stories and first-hand accounts of the motley crew that created and made up the libertarian movement. modern American.
democracy in america – alexis de tocqueville
alexis de tocqueville came to the united states to study prisons for the french government, but ended up making his most important contributions by studying american free society in action. de tocaville toured the country for nine months, watching how u.s. political, economic, religious, and social institutions worked together to foster human cooperation and how that process of cooperation led to a prosperous social order.
as daniel j. D’Amico explains, “America’s early and rapid rate of economic development and its functioning social order were the result of a wellspring of life from a vibrant civil society. Families, clubs, churches, and various community groups provided early Americans with a variety of opportunities to practice the art of association.”
The text, first published in 1835, endures as an influential and insightful account of American society and culture (it is considered the best book ever written on the United States), but more importantly, it describes the principles underlying the social order itself. “in democratic countries, the science of association is the mother science”, de tocqueville wrote, “the progress of all the others depends on the progress of that one”.
the moon is a tough lover – robert heinlein
This novel explores a futuristic society in which a lunar colony rebels against the Earth government. It is widely considered one of the best science fiction novels of all time, but its compelling portrayal of a dystopian future and discussion of libertarian ideas make it an essential part of a libertarian library. the book’s characters vary in their politics from self-proclaimed anarchists to would-be authoritarians, and the novel touches on libertarian themes such as spontaneous order, natural law, and individualism. Rough Mistress would go on to win several awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
a day in the life of ivan denisovich – aleksandr solzhenitsyn
“The days passed in the camp, ended before you could say ‘knife.’ but the years never passed; They never moved for a second.”
in this novella, russian author aleksandr solzhenitsyn describes, in brutal detail, an ordinary day in the life of a prisoner held in stalin’s siberian gulags: the bitter cold, the widespread hunger, the savage punishments, the helplessness , despair. And fear. Solzhenitsyn himself spent ten years in the Gulag for insulting Stalin, and his own personal experience sharpens the story in harrowing detail. tens of millions were churned through the gulags and labor camps in the soviet union; more than a million people would die there. ivan denisovich helps humanize an ocean of terror and human suffering that too easily turns into a mass of statistics.
For more ideas, be sure to check out our post on movie recommendations by clicking the button below.
This article expresses only the opinion of the author and not necessarily of the organization as a whole. Students for Freedom is committed to facilitating a broad dialogue for freedom, representing a variety of opinions. If you are a student interested in presenting your perspective on this blog, please submit your article to [email protected] and mention sfl blog in the subject of the email for a chance to be published and seen.
See Also: 17 Best YA Dystopian Novels for Teens to Read (2022)