Freedom as Property and the Nonaggression Principle Libertarian theorists like to trace social and economic problems to coercive, usually government-imposed or sanctioned interventions in the free market or restrictions on the exercise of the libertarian rights of self-ownership, private appropriation and use of material resources, and exchange by
Classical liberalism arose at a time when Christian orthodoxy was still vibrant. Liberalism and Christian orthodoxy, sharing a number of fundamental ideas about the nature of man and of interpersonal relations, presuppose the same moral ontology of natural law. The high tide of Christian orthodoxy and classical liberalism belongs to the era when
In this article, Frank van Dun discusses the differences between The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UD) versus Natural Rights . Volume 15, Number 4 (2001) van Dun, Frank. “Human Dignity: Reason or Desire? Natural Rights versus Human Rights .” Journal of Libertarian Studies 15, No. 4 (2001):
In this article, Frank van Dun offers a retort to Paul Gottfried’s critique. Volume 16, Number 3 (2002) van Dun, Frank. “Reply to Gottfried.” Journal of Libertarian Studies 16, No. 3 (2002):
What follows is a comment on some of the arguments on intellectual property and blackmail presented respectively by N. Stephan Kinsella and Walter Block in their contributions to the Journal of Libertarian Studies “Symposium on Applications of Libertarian Legal Theory.” Volume 17, Number 3 (2003) van Dun, Frank. “Against Libertarian Legalism: A
In this article, Frank van Dun offers a reply to Walter Block’s paper reviewing one of Dun’s previous works. Volume 18, Number 2 (2004) van Dun, Frank. “Natural Law and the Jurisprudence of Freedom.” Journal of Libertarian Studies 18, No. 2 (2004):
Back in the nineteen-seventies, inflation and unemployment were rapidly increasing together in the Western world, although according to the then ruling Keynesian priesthood they would never do so. By the end of the decade, the proudly proclaimed ability of the Keynesians to fine-tune the economy was shown to be a sham. Their performance
Introduction ‘Law’, in the sense in which I shall use the word here, denotes an order of persons. Within this general concept, we can distinguish between natural orders and artificial orders. Natural order, that is natural law, is the order of natural persons. Artificial order, often referred to as positive law, is an order of artificial
Reason is an ultimate given and cannot be analyzed or questioned by itself. —Ludwig von Mises [1] No person can disobey Reason, without giving up his claim to be a rational creature. —Jonathan Swift [2] I. Introduction In justificatory argumentation two or more persons seek to justify or to excuse a belief or action, to determine whether
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.