Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Richard Epstein on the differences among libertarians

This is a useful piece in highlighting the difference between classical liberals and libertarians who adhere strictly to the non-aggression principle.

In my own intellectual development, I have found using the strict case as a starting point for thinking to be very valuable. For example why isn't taxation just theft by proxy? Or, perhaps a better formulation, when isn't taxation just theft by proxy.

I should note too that Richard Epstein's book Takings had a big effect on my thinking on several dimensions. Takings is particularly valuable for economists in implicitly illustrating the difference between how a classical liberal economist thinks about things relative to how a classical liberal law professor thinks about things. I am looking forward to reading his new book, which I bought a couple of weeks ago.

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