Libertarianism

by John Hospers

Book by Hospers, John

Genres: Philosophy, Economics

488 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

John Hospers was an American philosopher. In 1972 he was the first presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, and the only minor party candidate to receive an electoral vote in the 1972 U.S. Presidential election.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hospers was the first LP candidate in ‘72 and a professor of philosophy at USC. Very Randian, and seems to be the first explicitly libertarian manifesto before Rothbard’s For a New Liberty in 1973 and Nozick’s Anarchy State Utopia in 1974 at least. His position is between minarchism and anarchocapitalism, that funding for government should be voluntary and the means of enforcement not be monopolized, but there should be a final arbiter of who can rightfully use force in a dispute. Basically is voluntarist but that realistically people living together will have a common law between them to resolve disputes rather than taking the law into their own hands. Libertarianism ideally is voluntary government I think, where only the initiation of force against person and property is prohibited by law.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Libertarian Party has sponsored candidates for President and other offices for some time now. In 1972, John Hospers trepresented the first candidate of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. He did not win, needless to say. But it was the starting point for a party that has run candidates for President each election up through 2008.

This book is his essay on his own libertarian views. As such, it helps sketch the views that animated his candidacy and that represented views of the Libertarian party. A useful historical document of a third party.

[mk.miles_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago now, when I was about 16 (I think?). At the time I thought it was incredible. I thank it for sparking my interest in political philosophy more broadly.

When it comes to actually uncovering the philosophical groundings for the ideology, this is a far cry from the other books on offer to you in the broader literature.

It contains a lot of cringe 'we hate the Soviets 'cause we're American' moments which never land the way Hospers wants them to.

His writing style is otherwise engaging however and the text is accessible. If you want a new, albeit eccentric, perspective on the political issues of any given day, Hospers might be your guy.

Either way this book holds a lot of sentimental value for me. So much so that I got a piercing reminiscent of the chain on the cover!

[Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a very small chunk of this book, but what I read, I liked. It was very easy to understand.

[Bruce Majors · Rating 4 out of 5]

read so long ago don't remember it