Comparative political theorists and historians occasionally describe the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644) as one of the least intrusive periods of governance in Chinese history since the Han. Tax burdens were relatively light, bureaucratic penetration into village life was shallow, and much social regulation was left to families and local elites. These features have led some observers to characterize early Ming rule as “restrained,” or even proto-liberal, especially when contrasted with the later fiscal and administrative expansion of the Ming state.

What is probability? The probability of an event is the proportion of times the event occurs out of a large number of trials. For instance, the probability of obtaining heads when a coin is tossed is 0.5. This does not mean that when a coin is tossed 10 times, five heads are always obtained. However, if the experiment is repeated a large number of times, then it is likely that 50 percent will be obtained. The greater the number of throws, the nearer the approximation is likely to be.

After briefly topping $94 this morning. 

Wherever one observes the transformation of society into one where access to economic opportunity is increasingly contingent upon credentials, one sees the unmistakable hallmark of state interference with the spontaneous order of the market. The moment violence interposes itself between man and his capacity to labor, trade, and create, he no longer lives in a market but under a system of privilege. Protection, in the statist sense, is not about safeguarding the individual; it is about disabling him.

As a “stealth tax,” inflation requires no legislation to impose, no agency to collect, and diverts responsibility for damages onto politicians’ favorite whipping boys. It gives government the ability to buy almost anything for nothing, while creating endless problems that serve as a pretext for intervention. Inflation is the foundation of arrogant government and a prescription for our own demise.

Through the 1600s, the English established colonies along the North American coast. Of course, these colonies shared much in common: shared language, shared appreciation for English citizenship and rights, and a shared commitment to Protestant Christianity (though, with different denominational and traditional commitments). But, it is worth considering just how different these colonies were.

As Étienne de la Boétie pointed out, the state is absolutely dependent on ideological support, without which it could not even command an army to force obedience from the public.

David Hart, former head of the Liberty Fund’s Online Library of Liberty Project, continues to build new archives of important documents from the history of liberalism. This includes new additions to the Leveller archives. the Levellers, according to Rothbard, were “the world’s first self-consciously libertarian movement.” Indeed, one frequently sees the influence of the Levellers in the American Revolution and documents like the Bill of Rights.  

Hart writes: