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.
David Gordon is Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and editor of the Mises Review.
Dr. David Gordon traces the antiwar core of the libertarian tradition through five of its great figures: Richard Cobden, John Bright, Lysander Spooner, Ludwig von Mises, and Murray Rothbard.
From a defense of free markets to criticisms of anti-discrimination laws, Richard Epstein has important things to say. In this week’s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon praises the legal scholar for his insights.
Mansfield is an elitist who sees Harvard as a meritocracy that has led America to greatness and can do so again if leftist attempts to undermine elitism are defeated.
Gordonh, David, ed. Secession, State, and Liberty (Transaction Publishers, 1998).
