In this week‘s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon reviews Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction by Jim Downs, who exposes the high death rates from disease suffered by newly-freed slaves because of neglect by Union armies.
While historian Walter A. McDougall was not a libertarian, nonetheless he had some Rothbardian insights on Woodrow Wilson and his reckless intervention into World War I. David Gordon notes that while McDougall‘s views on intervention were inconsistent, they still are useful.
David Gordon revisits Richard Weaver‘s 1948 classic Ideas Have Consequences and finds that this volume has much to tell us today. This review takes us through Weaver‘s views on property rights and the welfare state, and he found the latter wanting.
Robert Paul Wolff, who recently died, understood that the state is incompatible with individual rights. While he faltered in his views on economics, he helped lay the groundwork for a reasoned and coherent opposition to state-sponsored power.
Michael Huemer takes on wokeness and other progressive shibboleths—and he wins with an easy takedown.
In this week‘s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon looks at Allen Wood‘s attempts to salvage Marx‘s theory of exploitation. While Dr. Gordon acknowledges Allen‘s expertise in 19th-century philosophy, he notes that Allen truly misunderstands economics.
Most Americans think of Abraham Lincoln in hagiographic terms, the man who “saved” the United States from destruction. A closer look gives us a different picture of “Honest Abe.” David Gordon reviews a book that very much questions the Lincoln mythology.
Harry Jaffa suggested that Americans should adopt a “civil religion,” with Lincoln as a quasi-divine figure. This, of course, makes the state into a quasi-divine institution.
Rose Wilder Lane, known for her many writings, also has been a favorite of libertarians. In this week‘s Friday Philosophy, David Gordon reviews a book based on her columns in the Pittsburgh Courier from 1942-45 on race and race relations.
Auron MacIntyre has amassed a following in conservative circles, and David Gordon notes that while MacIntyre makes some good points on governance, he has much to learn about how free markets work.
