History question: Who was the “Founding Father” of libertarianism?
Frederic Bastiat?
Lysander Spooner?
Other?
Rabbi Hillel ?
Maybe Mattathias the Hasmonean?
I only know that crazy bitch, Ayn Rand, is one of the founding mothers of libertarianism.
Hans-Hermann Hoppe.
Seriously though, I’d have to say Ludwig von Mises, without von Mises’ economics libertarianism would be so irrelevant.
Hesiod.
what did hesiod say? got any good links?
Serious comments, please.
Indeed.
John Locke? And perhaps Jean-Baptiste Say from an economic point of view? Or as the founding father of Austrianism, Carl Menger?
But really, we probably ought to take anarcho-socialists into consideration as well. As far as I can tell, the first ones to oppose the state in regard to personal freedom were the anarcho-socialists. I believe Rothbard was the first one to actually produce a capitalist/free-market theory in opposition to the state.
There is no founding father of libertarianism, libertarianism is emergent from a whole bunch of different people.
That is what I was thinking.
The founding father of Austrianism would not be what I was thinking. John Locke was not a libertarian, in my opinion.
I assume we’re talking about modern history as natural rights can be traced back to Aristotle’s conception of “natural justice”.
In modern times I would say that Adam Smith was the founder of pragmatic libertarianism (preference utilitarianism), while natural rights go back to John Locke.
Molinari.
There was a nice recent article on Mises briefly concerning Hesiod’s proto-libertarianism.
Ha. If libertarianism means the idea that a monopolic state is not needed then I probably agree with you Giles (go figure…) If libertarianism means classical liberalism, then there’s no definite ‘founder’ I guess.
I don’t know about father of libertarianism, but Hesiod was bad-ass. In his Works and Days, he distinguishes between good and bad strife (Eris) as between the healthy competition of the economic means of acquiring wealth and the injustice of the political means of acquiring wealth.
So, after all, there was not one kind of Strife alone, but all over the earth there are two. As for the one, a man would praise her when he came to understand her; but the other is blameworthy: and they are wholly different in nature. For one fosters evil war and battle, being cruel: her no man loves; but perforce, through the will of the deathless gods, men pay harsh Strife her honour due. But the other is the elder daughter of dark Night, and the son of Cronos who sits above and dwells in the aether, set her in the roots of the earth: and she is far kinder to men. She stirs up even the shiftless to toil; for a man grows eager to work when he considers his neighbour, a rich man who hastens to plough and plant and put his house in good order; and neighbour vies with is neighbour as he hurries after wealth. This Strife is wholesome for men. And potter is angry with potter, and craftsman with craftsman, and beggar is jealous of beggar, and minstrel of minstrel.
Perses, lay up these things in your heart, and do not let that Strife who delights in mischief hold your heart back from work, while you peep and peer and listen to the wrangles of the court-house. Little concern has he with quarrels and courts who has not a year’s victuals laid up betimes, even that which the earth bears, Demeter’s grain. When you have got plenty of that, you can raise disputes and strive to get another’s goods.
And in contrast with Homer who supported the divine right of kings, Hesiod recognized a law above the law of political authorities, who are corruptible.
let us settle our dispute here with true judgement which is of Zeus and is perfect. For we had already divided our inheritance, but you seized the greater share and carried it off, greatly swelling the glory of our bribe-swallowing lords who love to judge such a cause as this.
While other poets glorified the political class of kings and warriors, Hesiod sang of the honest working man who parasites like Agamemnon and Achilles leached off of.
I totoally forgot about Molinari. He would indeed be a good candidate for the founder of actual, modern libertarianism. I should start calling myself a Molinarist, then when people get curious they aren’t turned off by the term “libertarian” which they undoubtedly have biases about from hearing us described as cranks on TV so often.
John Locke’s property theory was absolutely essential for libertarianism as an intellectual stance. But, it doesn’t take philosophy to recognize natural property rights on a gut level. Therefore, I nominate whoever is to be considered as the first human being. Such a man, long before the false legitimacy of state theft and murder, knew all he needed to know of libertarianism.