This essay dissects For a New Liberty’s chapter on property and exchange. Arguing from a libertarian perspective, it concludes that Rothbard’s libertarianism suffers from a number of serious deficiencies. The arguments that Rothbard provides for his particular version of libertarianism are radically incomplete and, in some cases, patently fallacious. And the conclusions that he reaches are grossly implausible, even when judged by the standard of an overriding commitment to individual liberty.

Matt Zwolinski is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of San Diego. He is a contributor to The Independent Review, the quarterly journal from the Independent Institute.
EconomistsEconomyFree Market EconomicsPhilosophy and Religion
Other Independent Review articles by Matt Zwolinski
Spring 2015 Property Rights, Coercion, and the Welfare State: The Libertarian Case for a Basic Income for All