Genre: Nonfiction—Politics & Philosophy
Completed: 27 December 2010
Summary & Review:
With the size of government ever growing, Charles Murray presents his argument that the best and only way to ensure the maximum wealth, security, and happiness is a libertarian form of government. Freedom, he argues, is the single most important aspect of our lives, and without maximized individual freedom we cannot achieve true satisfaction in life. Clearly, however, libertarians recognize that government does have a role to play in modern societies, a belief that sets this philosophy apart from anarchy.
In the introduction to this book, Murray states that he would prefer to call himself a classical liberal, rather than a hard-line Libertarian, but because the word "liberal" has had its original meaning perverted, he has settled with calling himself a lower-case-“L” libertarian. I guess that is about where I fall on the political spectrum as well. For example, it is hard for me to justify the full legalization of all drugs, including heroin and the like, as so many Libertarians do.
In the book, Murray’s arguments were clear and concise. He offered actual libertarian solutions to problems that seem to perplex so many in our government and media, and then backed up his positions with facts and the collected knowledge of thousands of years of study of human behavior and thought. He is clear to emphasize that freedom does not mean license to do whatever you want without regard to others. In fact, maximized freedom requires much more personal responsibility. Thus, he proposes a First Law of Libertarian Reform which reads: “Every increase in freedom of action must be matched with a corresponding increase in responsibility for consequences.” This is in the end, perhaps a more difficult way to live. Yet, that difficulty is what makes it so much more satisfying. Libertarians believe in smaller government with fewer laws, but the laws that remain are taken very seriously, allowing people to fully exercise their liberties while respecting the right of others to do the same.
If you are at all interested in learning more about libertarianism, I recommend this book as a good introduction.
Rating: 9.5
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