Resources for Understanding Libertarian /
Classical Liberal Perspectives
Our Picks
Recommended Video
- What is Libertarianism? What does the Libertarian Party Stand For? (10:38). From 1988: Ron Paul discusses the values and principles of Libertarianism and the Libertarian Party, and how it differs from the Republican and Democratic Parties.
Recommended Reading
“Key Concepts of Libertarianism” (1999) by David Boaz. In this brief essay, David Boaz describes the origins of libertarian thought as well as nine key concepts that define libertarianism. Boaz concludes by identifying the similarities and distinctions between libertarianism and general liberal principles.
Videos
Additional Essays
- “Liberalism” (1973) by Friedrich A. Hayek.
- “The Basic Principles of Liberalism” (1956) by Milton Friedman.
- “A Utilitarian Case for Libertarianism” (2017) by Chris Freiman.
- “Understanding Libertarian Morality: The Psychological Dispositions of Self-Identified Libertarians” (2012) by Ravi Iyer, Spassena Koleva, Jesse Graham, Peter Ditto, and Jonathan Haidt.
- “Penn Jillette: How I Became A Libertarian” (2016) by Penn Jillette.
- “Libertarianism and Classical Liberalism: A Short Introduction” (2017) by Daniel B. Klein.
- “A Natural Rights Case for Libertarianism” (2017) by Eric Mack.
- “Le Contrat Social” (1922) by H.L. Mencken. Satirist and social critic H.L. Mencken provides his critique of all forms of government, concluding, “The ideal government of all reflective men, from Aristotle to Herbert Spencer, is one which lets the individual alone.”
- “Liberalism: The Classical Tradition” (1927) excerpted from Liberalism: The Classical Tradition by Ludwig von Mises.
- “A Contractarian Case for Libertarianism” (2017) by Jan Narveson.
- “The Purpose and Limits of Government” (1999) by Roger Pilon.
- “Libertarianism” (2014) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Bookshelf
Non-Fiction
- Isaiah Berlin, Liberty: Incorporating Four Essays on Liberty (1969).
- David Boaz, The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom (2015).
- Étienne de La Boétie, The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (1975).
- Jason Brennan, Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know (2012).
- Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman, Free to Choose: A Personal Statement (1980) (Condensed Version).
- Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom (1956).
- John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859) (HxA Condensed Version).
- Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974).
- David Schmidtz and Jason Brennan, A Brief History of Liberty (2010).
- George Smith and Marilyn Moore (Eds.), Individualism: A Reader (2015).
- Thomas Sowell, Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy (2007).
- John Tomasi, Free Market Fairness (2012).
Fiction
- Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land (1961).
- Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead (1943).