What It Means to Be a Libertarian | Charles Murray

What It Means to Be a Libertarian | Charles Murray | An important contribution to the national political debate

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What It Means to B...

	What It Means to Be a Libertarian Charles Murray Broadway, 1997 - 196 pages average customer review:based on 42 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An Elegant Vision

As an introduction to libertarianism, Charles Murray's "What It Means to Be a Libertarian" is often compared to David Boaz's "Libertarianism: A Primer" which also came out in 1997. They are both excellent, but completely different in style and approach. Murray's book is shorter (roughly half the length), more theoretical and philosophical, and calm in tone. He conveys an elegant vision for how society ought to function, and argues convincingly why this is realistic rather than utopian. Liberals and conservatives should both agree with his vision of how things _ought_ to be, though they may remain unconvinced of the feasibility: sometimes relying on the invisible hand that guides the economy is as difficult as trusting the invisible hand that holds up an airplane. This is an elegantly written and extremely readable book, and an excellent introduction to what libertarians are _for_ as well as what they are against.

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An important contribution to the national political debate

You do not need to be a libertarian to appreciate the arguments that Charles Murray makes in this important and lucid book. I would not describe myself as a follower of Mr. Murray's political philosphy, but I have an affinity for many of the points that he makes: government is too large, too inefficent, and often does more harm than good. The author makes a crucial point that freedom is the most important quality that a person owns. That governemnt infringes on this quality is beyond dispute. What Murray may neglect to acknowledge is that other people can infringe on our freedom too. This includes criminals, business monopolies, and racist neighbors. It is always a tricky dilema to ask Washington to affirm and ensure our freedom. You are practically making a deal with the devil. But as the civil rights moment amply demonstates, sometimes authorities are needed to ensure our liberties. What isn't as obvious is the role government should play to ensure equality. Here Murray's arguments are especially powerful. You can certainly have equality without freedom (see the Soviet Union). But is a society where everyone drives the same automobile worth sacrifising future growth - not to mention the political right to question the legitimacy of that ideology? It is an answer that every free society has answered: "No." Communism is an ideology of force, not choice. Even creeping socialism is reversed when free countries see the defects it imposes, as seen in the conservative movements in Britain and West Germany in the 1980s. Freedom is the paramount good in society. Equality is an ideal, perhaps, but should not be coerced by an autocratic government. But along with freedom comes responsibility. That is something that is easily forgotten in American society today. Freedom was not bestowed on us to make any choice we want; it is only worthy when we make the right choice. Freedom is a luxury enjoyed only by responsible people. The challenge for us is to prove ourselves deserving of the society that our Founding Fathers wished for us to enjoy.

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Here's a book that might make you think a little

Charles Murray has his own views of what the perfect Libertarian world would be. He isn't asking that the federal government privatize roads, or eliminate the EPA, but he would like to see them do their constitutional duties first and leave other tasks for the market place. His premise is that we should judge government actions not by intentions, but by outcome.

He makes a good case that New Deal and Great Society programs have been around long enough to quantify the benefits, but the numbers indicate no improvement. Also, Murray contends the government has been neglecting their real duties such as national defense and foreign policy to look after the welfare state.

Murray discusses education, the environment, drug policy, discrimination, economics, and responsibility from a fresh point of view. If you are tired of the same old ideas on the evening news, read this book.

for more information click here

An Elegant Vision

As an introduction to libertarianism, Charles Murray's "What It Means to Be a Libertarian" is often compared to David Boaz's "Libertarianism: A Primer" which also came out in 1997. They are both excellent, but completely different in style and approach. Murray's book is shorter (roughly half the length), more theoretical and philosophical, and calm in tone. He conveys an elegant vision for how society ought to function, and argues convincingly why this is realistic rather than utopian. Liberals and conservatives should both agree with his vision of how things _ought_ to be, though they may remain unconvinced of the feasibility: sometimes relying on the invisible hand that guides the economy is as difficult as trusting the invisible hand that holds up an airplane. This is an elegantly written and extremely readable book, and an excellent introduction to what libertarians are _for_ as well as what they are against.

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Epiphany

I picked this book up because of the cogent and clear style I enjoyed so much in previous books by Mr. Murray. As I read it I realized that he was crystallizing my own belief system in this small book. One can only wonder what this world would be like today if the students in colleges like Berkely in the 60's, who are so involved politically today, had been carrying around this instead of the "Little Red Book" by Mao. Mr. Murray not only makes clear the "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" nature of the libertarians, he also puts into context that view as it was expressed by the founders of this country. I especially found his section on "the common good" enlightening. Please read this book!

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9

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