Rothbard’s property rights framework emphasizes absolute self-ownership and private property rights as the foundation of a free society. Under this framework, individuals have exclusive control over their own bodies and property, and no external authority—state or otherwise—may justly compel them to act against their will, especially when such compulsion involves bodily intrusion.

The war of words between President Donald Trump and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has been revealed as largely histrionic. Like their predecessors—Richard Nixon and Arthur Burns—over 50 years ago, Trump and Powell have been acting out a performative charade regarding when and to what extent artificially low interest rates should go even lower in the midst of persistent inflation. The supposed sparring between Trump and Powell merely guarantees the result both want—more easy money.

In the weeks leading up to his September 10 assassination, Kirk had come to loathe the Israeli leader, regarding him as a “bully.”

Human conflict is an intrinsic part of human nature; it is as natural as tears. As Leo Strauss wrote, in modern society “the original conflict between moral demands and desires remains intact.” Individuals and their various enterprises often have conflictual relations between each other. These can take many forms and are often non-violent.

Defenders of the Civil Rights Act are always at great pains to portray themselves as eminently reasonable, when they argue that the nondiscrimination principle reflects the best of intentions to create a fairer world. Civil rights law indeed seems, on the face of it, to stand for nothing more than giving everyone a fair chance to participate in education or employment. What could be wrong with allowing black students to attend schools that were previously restricted to whites only, or preventing employers from firing anyone based entirely on the color of his skin?

According to the Treasury Department’s monthly statement released on Thursday, Federal spending surged again in August, rising to the highest spending level reported in 30 months. At the same time, the deficit rose to the second-highest August deficit on record, topped only by August 2024. 

The focus of anarcho-capitalism as a political philosophy is the autonomy of the individual: everyone should be able to peacefully pursue their life project without suffering unwanted interference. The ethical axis that allows this objective to be achieved is private property. This allows both bodies and external goods to be legitimately assigned and delimited, making it possible to identify and judge transfers of acquired property.