RSS 2.0 FeedLibertarians Of Will, Intellect, and Action
by Doug MataconisI’ve long had conflicted feelings about Murry Rothbard.
First of all, he was basically an anarcho-capitalist and, for many of the reasons that Brad has expressed recently here and here, I don’t buy into the anarcho-capitalist idea. Secondly, Rothbard’s view of history, which I was exposed to when I attended a lecture he gave during the summer 1991 “Mises University” seminar series at Stanford University, was, in some sense, wacky; he believed in a conspiratorial view of history (i.e., the idea that Trilateral Commission and similar organizations run the world and manipulate events) that I just can’t take seriously.
At the same time, though, he was a passionate believer in human liberty, as this speech to the 1977 Libertarian Party Convention shows:
I have long been convinced that the process of becoming a libertarian — whether it happens gradually or in a blinding flash of conversion — is a twofold rather than a single process. If we may use a now familiar rhetoric, we might say that the true libertarian is “born again,” that is, that the process of conversion to liberty takes place in two distinct — though sometimes rapidly succeeding — stages.
The first conversion is what we might call the “baptism of reason” — the moment or moments when the person becomes convinced that liberty is the best, and the only just, social system for mankind. He or she realizes that liberty is the true, the good, and the beautiful. But I have become increasingly convinced that this realization is only the first step to becoming a full-fledged libertarian. To be truly “born again,” the libertarian must experience what we might call a second baptism, the “baptism of will.” That is, he must be driven by his rational insight to dedicate himself to the mighty goal of bringing about the victory of liberty, of libertarian principles, in the real world. He must set out to transform reality in accordance with his ideal vision. In short, the truly complete libertarian, the “born again” libertarian, if you will, is not content with recognizing the truth of liberty as the best social system; he cannot and will not rest
On this I agree with Rothbard. What’s the point of believing in the great idea of human liberty without also believing that it’s a goal that we should be aiming for ?
Rothbard and I would probably disagree about the ultimate goal, or even the best method of getting there, but it’s hard to disagree with this:
I am convinced that our primary task, now, as libertarians, is not to hassle with each other on the precise role of the courts or the police in the eventual free society, nor over the proper detailed strategy or tactics of achieving it. As important as these questions are, our most vital task is for each and every one of us to achieve the baptism of will, that is, to adopt and hold high — forever — the victory of liberty as our primary, overriding political goal. This is what we are all about, we libertarians.
Unfortunately, this is precisely what libertarians and classical liberals, especially those inside the Libertarian Party, have not done over the past 30 years. Instead of talking about victory, they engage in intramural intellectual debates over issues that the general public either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about.
If you want to achieve victory in the real world, then you need to address the problems of the real world in realistic fashion. Instead, libertarians continue to argue among themselves and ignore what Rothbard said so well:
We hereby put everyone on notice: We are libertarians of the will as well as the intellect, of activity as well as theory, of real-world struggle as well as idealistic vision. We are a serious movement. Our goal is nothing less than the victory of liberty over the Leviathan state, and we shall not be deflected, we shall not be diverted, we shall not be suborned, from achieving that goal. The odds against us are no greater than the odds that faced our forefathers at Concord, at Saratoga, or at Valley Forge. Secure in the knowledge that we are in the right, inspired by the vision, determination and courage of our forbears, we dedicate ourselves to the noblest cause of all, the old American cause, of individual liberty. With such dedication and with such a goal, how can we help but win?
I’m ready. Are you ?
H/T: Mises Economics Blog
I was at a summer Mises at Stanford back around then (I was in grad school), but I can’t remember if it was 1991. It probably was a year or two earlier.
Still, maybe we drank and libertarianized together and never realized it. ;-)
Comment by KipEsquire — February 9, 2007 @ 1:56 pmLet’s see……I was at Mises in `91, the Institute for Humane Studies seminar in Virginia in 1990, and Cato’s seminar at Dartmouth in `89.
I can’t honestly say I remember the name of anyone else who attended. But then again, there was alcohol around ;)
Comment by Doug Mataconis — February 9, 2007 @ 2:00 pmI’d consider talking about what I was doing in ‘91, but I don’t want to make y’all feel old :-)
Comment by Brad Warbiany — February 9, 2007 @ 3:11 pmTaking Driver’s Ed?
Nick
Comment by Nick M. — February 9, 2007 @ 4:34 pmNah, that wasn’t until about the summer of ‘94, IIRC…
Comment by Brad Warbiany — February 9, 2007 @ 5:07 pm“Instead of talking about victory, they engage in intramural intellectual debates over issues that the general public either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about.”
That seems to describe this post. Which brings us full circle back to the question of what strategy will best achieve the victory of liberty over the Leviathan state.
Alas, I wish I knew. But I do know that the best way to be free is to live free and take your chances if your actions (or nonactions) violate the laws of the state. Withdraw your consent to be governed and refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the state.
Comment by Tom Blanton — February 10, 2007 @ 12:18 amFor years our movements main mobilisations have been against the G8, which is as we argue a conspiracy by the top industrial countries to control the world economy for corporations.
This is our basic argument & we are arguing that G8 is not democratic it is a conspiracy by corporations to create a global market for their profit.
These corporations meet up to consolidate tactics & ideas & make sure puppet governments including G8 governments are acting according to plan, “of course they are just concerned citizens who want to met in private”, my arse!
their next rmajor meeting is in Brussels 16-19 March
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Trilateralism/Trilateralism_Sklar.html
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Ruling_Elites/Ruling_Elites.html
http://www.trilateral.org/recent.htm
Iam a wobbly,earth firster & have been researching this for nearly 12 years on the net & before that in university libraries, whilst helping my comrades fight the puppets on frontlines whilst the oligarchs rule & frankly enough is enough.
Comment by John Mason — February 15, 2007 @ 6:33 amChomsky is great at criticising the US government, but a proper Chimpsky when it comes to interdependence & the environments supernational organisations