The essays in Secession, State & Liberty argue that the political impulse to secede—to attempt to separate from central government control—is a vital part of the Lockean classical-liberal tradition, one that emerges when national governments become too big and too ambitious.
Unlike revolution, secession seeks only separation from rule, preferably through non-violent means. It is based on the moral idea, articulated by Ludwig von Mises in 1919, that “no people and no part of a people shall be held against its will in a political association that it does not want.”
These seven important essays—which cover philosophy, history, economics, and law—argue that the threat of secession should be revived as a bulwark against government encroachment on individual liberty and private property rights, as a guarantor of international free trade, and as protection against attempts to curb the freedom of association.
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David Gordon is Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and editor of the Mises Review.
Like so many intellectuals, Hilary Putnam is a good philosopher but a poor judge of good economics. In this week’s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon dissects Putnam’s confusion between facts and values.
Economist Robert Barro has questioned the necessity of fighting a war in this country to end slavery. In this week's Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon looks at Barro's reasoning and finds it sound.
In this week’s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon examines the demands of philosopher Peter Unger, namely, that we be forced to give up our wealth to fund a world welfare state. Suffice it to say that Dr. Gordon is not impressed with Unger’s arguments.
Gordonh, David, ed. Secession, State, and Liberty (Transaction Publishers, 1998).
