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'''The Ethics of Liberty''', by American economist and historian Murray N. Rothbard, first published in 1982, is a rigorous and philosophically sophisticated exposition of the libertarian political position. It roots the case for freedom in the concept of natural rights and applies it to a host of practical problems.
Hans-Hermann Hoppe, who wrote the introduction to later editions of the book, has described the 273-page ''The Ethics of Liberty'' as Murray Rothbard's second magnum opus, the other being ''Man, Economy, and State''. [1]

Contents

Contents

Part I: Introduction: Natural Law

Part II: A Theory of Liberty

Part III: The State Versus Liberty

Part IV: Modern Alternative Theories of Liberty

Part V: Toward a Theory of Strategy for Liberty

Release history

External links

Contents

Part I: Introduction: Natural Law

1. Natural Law and Reason

2. Natural Law as "Science"

3. Natural Law Versus Positive Law

4. Natural Law and Natural Rights

5. The Task of Political Philosophy

Part II: A Theory of Liberty

6. A Crusoe Social Philosophy

7. Interpersonal Relations: Voluntary Exchange

8. Interpersonal Relations: Ownership and Aggression

9. Property and Criminality

10. The Problem of Land Theft

11. Land Monopoly, Past and Present

12. Self-Defense

13. Punishment and Proportionality

14. Children and Rights

15. "Human Rights" as Property Rights

16. Knowledge, True and False

17. Bribery

18. The Boycott

19. Property Rights and the Theory of Contracts

20. Lifeboat Situations

21. The "Rights" of Animals

Part III: The State Versus Liberty

22. The Nature of the State

23. The Inner Contradictions of the State

24. The Moral Status of Relations to the State

25. On Relations Between States

Part IV: Modern Alternative Theories of Liberty

26. Utilitarian Free-Market Economics


★ Introduction: Utilitarian Social Philosophy

★ The Unanimity and Compensation Principles

★ Ludwig von Mises and "Value-Free" Laissez-Faire
27. Isaiah Berlin on Negative Freedom

28. F.A. Hayek and the Concept of Coercion

29. Robert Nozick and the Immaculate Conception of the State

Part V: Toward a Theory of Strategy for Liberty

30. Toward a Theory of Strategy for Liberty

Release history

★ New York University Press. New York, N.Y. February 1, 2003. Paperback. ISBN 0-8147-7559-4

★ New York University Press. New York, N.Y. May 1, 1998. Hardcover. ISBN 0-8147-7506-3

★ Humanities Press. Atlantic Highlands, N.J. 1982. Hardcover. ISBN 0-391-02371-3

External links

★ ''The Ethics of Liberty'' Full Text, Audio Book

★ Introduction to ''The Ethics of Liberty'' by Hans-Hermann Hoppe in HTML format

★ Introduction to the French edition of ''The Ethics of Liberty''

★ 1998 review by Sheldon Richman