Friday Philosophy

Legal philosopher Jeremy Waldron in his book The Rule of Law and the Measure of Property challenges the Lockean view of legitimate property ownership. David Gordon sheds light on Waldron's confusing positions.

John Hasnas has written a new book outlining how societies operate with mutual cooperation and common law. According to David Gordon, it is a major contribution to libertarian social thought.

While F.A. Hayek contributed much to the Austrian School of Economics, he also supported the establishment of the welfare state, believing that it was compatible with the rule of law. Ludwig von Mises, however, knew that the welfare state is the ubiquitous slippery slope.

In the present age of denouncing “colonialism,” we need to better understand what imperialism was and why it came about. David Gordon critiques Joseph Schumpeter‘s account of western imperialism of the 19th and 20th centuries.

It is understood that Marx's theories stand entirely upon his Labor Theory of Value. If that theory is discredited, so is the scenario that leads to the inevitable triumph of communism. That fact, however, doesn't stop Marx's disciples from employing other fallacies.

What is the source of our rights, natural Law or the state? Unfortunately, too many people who should know better choose the latter. David Gordon makes short work of their internal contradictions.

Herbert Butterfield, who taught history at Cambridge, had many insights on the sea changes brought about by World War I and the collapse of the Old World Order. The new order that followed, he realized, was not an improvement over what previously existed.

Professor Tara Smith tries to set the record straight regarding Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and reason. Unfortunately, as David Gordon demonstrates, Smith's analysis misses the mark.

The simple tautology that individuals act is not trivial, despite what critics of Austrian economics might say. As Mises noted, human action is directly related to the ability of humans to reason. 

Rachel Maddow, the leftwing broadcaster, tries her hand at rewriting history. Unfortunately, her tendency to see a fascist hiding behind every bush and tree clouds her writing judgment.