Classical liberals all agree that government should be limited, but they disagree about how they get to that conclusion.
In his conclusion to the series “Schools of Thought in Classical Liberalism,” Dr. Nigel Ashford asks: What do you think the role of government should be? How do you decide what government should or shouldn’t do? What’s your philosophy? What do you believe? Anarchy: there is no role for government. Minimal government, or minarchy: government […]
What is an anarchist? Most people associate the word “anarchist” with the political left. However, there are anarchists who advocate for completely unrestricted capitalism, also known as anarcho-capitalistism. Two prominent anarcho-capitalists are Murray Rothbard and David Friedman, both of whom believed there should be no government. Dr. Nigel Ashford discusses the views of Rothbard and […]
Some philosophers believe that all human beings have natural rights. America has a strong natural rights tradition, embodied in the Declaration of Independence’s claim that all men are endowed with “certain unalienable rights.” In part 5 of his series, Dr. Nigel Ashford explores the beliefs and philosophical methodology of philosophers Ayn Rand and Robert Nozick, […]
When people refer to the “Austrian School,” they are usually referring to the ideas of two prominent economists: Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises. Dr. Nigel Ashford highlights the similarities and differences of these two influential thinkers. On the one hand, Hayek tends to recognize the limits of human knowledge and reason. He argues that […]
