Libertarian Papers

Libertarian Papers Now Indexed in Philosophy

Matthew McCaffrey — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:02:06 +0000

As part of our ongoing effort to increase the presence of libertarian scholarship in the academic community, we are pleased to announce that Libertarian Papers has been added to two new research databases. The journal is now listed in The International Directory of Philosophy, and also has a new entry in the comprehensive journal database JournalSeek.

8. “Christian Anarchism: Communitarian or Capitalist?”

Matthew McCaffrey — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:31:14 +0000

by Alexander W. Salter

Abstract: I build on Christoyannopoulous’s (2011) compendium of Christian anarchist thought to shed light on the divergence between Christian anarcho-communitarians and Christian anarcho-capitalists. The anarcho-communitarians believe the institution of private property is contrary to the Word of Christ, while the anarcho-capitalists hold it is justifiable. I show that the anarcho-communitarians misunderstand the nature of property, rendering them unable to reconcile an apparent contradiction between Christ’s command to renounce violence and His violent cleansing of the temple. The Christian anarcho-capitalists, drawing upon the philosophy of natural law, face no such difficulty. Although their position is far from unassailable, the Christian anarcho-capitalist paradigm is currently the only theoretically consistent interpretation, and will remain so unless the Christian anarcho-communitarians can discover and advance a new theoretical framework.

The Most Visited Libertarian Websites

Stephan Kinsella (Editor) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:45:19 +0000

The Capital Free Press has compiled a list of the top ranked “libertarian websites based on the number of unique visitors in the most recent month according to the data compiled by Compete.” The post is pasted below. Not surprisingly, LewRockwell.com is the most visited libertarian site. Four of my own sites made the list: StephanKinsella.com (#84), Libertarian Papers (#100), The Libertarian Standard (#75), and Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom (C4SIF, #78).

The Most Visited Libertarian Websites

This is a ranking of the top libertarian websites based on the number of unique visitors in the most recent month according to the data compiled by Compete. They only compile data for domains and subdomains, so perhaps this list is more accurately described as the most visited libertarian domains rather than websites. It is compiled through calls to Compete’s API, so it will automatically update when they release new data each month. For more information on this list, see the blog post introducing it.

Automating everything means that adding a new website is as simple as plugging a new url into my list, so you have any suggestions for a website to add, please email me at patrick@capitalfreepress.com.

Due to the restrictions on the free use of the Compete API, there is a chance that I could run out of API calls in a 24 hour period (resets at midnight EST). The way that I compile this list and the terms and conditions on the use of their API prevent me from displaying the number of unique visitors for each website in the chart, though that information and more can be accessed via the link I have provided.

Rank	Name	Website
1	LewRockwell.com	lewrockwell.com	Compete Site Profile
2	Electronic Frontier Foundation	eff.org	Compete Site Profile
3	Ron Paul 2012 Official Campaign Website	ronpaul2012.com	Compete Site Profile
4	Reason Magazine	reason.com	Compete Site Profile
5	Daily Paul	dailypaul.com	Compete Site Profile
6	The Cato Institute	cato.org	Compete Site Profile
7	Ludwig von Mises Institute	mises.org	Compete Site Profile
8	AntiWar.com	antiwar.com	Compete Site Profile
9	RonPaul.com	ronpaul.com	Compete Site Profile
10	Outside the Beltway	outsidethebeltway.com	Compete Site Profile
11	Economic Policy Journal	economicpolicyjournal.com	Compete Site Profile
12	Library of Economics and Liberty	econlib.org	Compete Site Profile
13	The Daily Bell	thedailybell.com	Compete Site Profile
14	Ron Paul Forums	ronpaulforums.com	Compete Site Profile
15	Endorse Liberty PAC	endorseliberty.com	Compete Site Profile
16	Tenth Amendment Center	tenthamendmentcenter.com	Compete Site Profile
17	Cato-at-Liberty Blog	cato-at-liberty.org	Compete Site Profile
18	The Freeman	thefreemanonline.org	Compete Site Profile
19	Future of Freedom Foundation	fff.org	Compete Site Profile
20	Campaign For Liberty	campaignforliberty.com	Compete Site Profile
21	The Independent Institute	independent.org	Compete Site Profile
22	Advocates for Self Government	theadvocates.org	Compete Site Profile
23	Marginal Revolution	marginalrevolution.com	Compete Site Profile
24	The Agitator – Radley Balko	theagitator.com	Compete Site Profile
25	Carpe Diem – Mark J. Perry	mjperry.blogspot.com	Compete Site Profile
26	Libertarian Party	lp.org	Compete Site Profile
27	Tom Woods	tomwoods.com	Compete Site Profile
28	Whiskey and Gunpowder	whiskeyandgunpowder.com	Compete Site Profile
29	Revolution PAC	revolutionpac.com	Compete Site Profile
30	Run Ron Paul	runronpaul.com	Compete Site Profile
31	The Ayn Rand Institute	aynrand.org	Compete Site Profile
32	Cop Block	copblock.org	Compete Site Profile
33	Acton Institute	acton.org	Compete Site Profile
34	Free State Project	freestateproject.org	Compete Site Profile
35	Adam Vs The Man	adamvstheman.com	Compete Site Profile
36	United Liberty	unitedliberty.org	Compete Site Profile
37	Reason Foundation	reason.org	Compete Site Profile
38	Moment of Clarity – Tim Nerenz	timnerenz.com	Compete Site Profile
39	Cafe Hayek	cafehayek.com	Compete Site Profile
40	Downsize DC	downsizedc.org	Compete Site Profile
41	Free Keene	freekeene.com	Compete Site Profile
42	The Humble Libertarian	humblelibertarian.com	Compete Site Profile
43	Laissez-Faire Books	lfb.org	Compete Site Profile
44	Strike-The-Root	strike-the-root.com	Compete Site Profile
45	Foundation for Economic Education	fee.org	Compete Site Profile
46	John Locke Foundation	johnlocke.org	Compete Site Profile
47	Break The Matrix	breakthematrix.com	Compete Site Profile
48	BuildFreedom.com	buildfreedom.com	Compete Site Profile
49	Competitive Enterprise Institute	cei.org	Compete Site Profile
50	Libertarianism.org	libertarianism.org	Compete Site Profile
51	Vox Popoli	voxday.blogspot.com	Compete Site Profile
52	The Institute for Justice	ij.org	Compete Site Profile
53	OpenMarket.org – The Blog of the CEI	openmarket.org	Compete Site Profile
54	Freedomain Radio	freedomainradio.com	Compete Site Profile
55	Institute for Humane Studies	theihs.org	Compete Site Profile
56	Peter Schiff Show	schiffradio.com	Compete Site Profile
57	Center for a Stateless Society	c4ss.org	Compete Site Profile
58	Learn Liberty	learnliberty.org	Compete Site Profile
59	Young Americans for Liberty	yaliberty.org	Compete Site Profile
60	Young Americans for Liberty	yaliberty.org	Compete Site Profile
61	Reason.tv	reason.tv	Compete Site Profile
62	Free Talk Live	freetalklive.com	Compete Site Profile
63	The Future of Capitalism	futureofcapitalism.com	Compete Site Profile
64	Doug Wead The Blog	dougwead.wordpress.com	Compete Site Profile
65	Libertarian Republican	libertarianrepublican.net	Compete Site Profile
66	Adam Smith Institute	adamsmith.org	Compete Site Profile
67	The Capital Free Press	capitalfreepress.com	Compete Site Profile
68	Bleeding Heart Libertarians	bleedingheartlibertarians.com	Compete Site Profile
69	Militant Libertarian	militantlibertarian.org	Compete Site Profile
70	Students for Liberty	studentsforliberty.org	Compete Site Profile
71	Coyote Blog	coyoteblog.com	Compete Site Profile
72	Ron Paul News	ronpaulnews.net	Compete Site Profile
73	Republican Liberty Caucus	rlc.org	Compete Site Profile
74	Bastiat Institute	bastiatinstitute.org	Compete Site Profile
75	The Libertarian Standard	libertarianstandard.com	Compete Site Profile
76	AgainstCronyCapitalism.org	againstcronycapitalism.org	Compete Site Profile
77	Coordination Problem	coordinationproblem.org	Compete Site Profile
78	Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom	c4sif.org	Compete Site Profile
79	realfreemarket.org	realfreemarket.org	Compete Site Profile
80	Goldwater Institute	goldwaterinstitute.org	Compete Site Profile
81	Liberty Radio Network	lrn.fm	Compete Site Profile
82	Ideas – David Friedman	daviddfriedman.blogspot.com	Compete Site Profile
83	Daily Anarchist	dailyanarchist.com	Compete Site Profile
84	Stephan Kinsella	stephankinsella.com	Compete Site Profile
85	NeverTakeaPlea.org	nevertakeaplea.org	Compete Site Profile
86	Liberty Underground	1787network.com	Compete Site Profile
87	Liberty Pulse	libertypulse.com	Compete Site Profile
88	Peace, Freedom & Prosperity	peacefreedomprosperity.com	Compete Site Profile
89	Free Advice – Robert Murphy	consultingbyrpm.com	Compete Site Profile
90	Libertarian Leanings	libertarianleanings.com	Compete Site Profile
91	Americans for Limited Government	getliberty.org	Compete Site Profile
92	Liberty Documentaries	libertydocumentaries.com	Compete Site Profile
93	Liberty PAC	libertypac.net	Compete Site Profile
94	Taking Hayek Seriously	hayekcenter.org	Compete Site Profile
95	Liberty Maven	libertymaven.com	Compete Site Profile
96	Congress Shall Make No Law: IJ’s Free Speech Blog	makenolaw.org	Compete Site Profile
97	Ron Paul Radio	ronpaulradio.com	Compete Site Profile
98	LacrosseWatchDog	lacrossewatchdog.org	Compete Site Profile
99	Bad Quaker	badquaker.com	Compete Site Profile
100	Libertarian Papers	libertarianpapers.org	Compete Site Profile
101	Porcupine Freedom Festival	porcfest.com	Compete Site Profile
102	The Libertarian Patriot	thelibertarianpatriot.com	Compete Site Profile
103	The Southern Libertarian	thesouthernlibertarian.com	Compete Site Profile
104	The Tireless Agorist	tirelessagorist.blogspot.com	Compete Site Profile
105	Liberty Classroom	libertyclassroom.com	Compete Site Profile
106	Government by Contract	governmentbycontract.com	Compete Site Profile
107	Freespace – Timothy Sandefur	sandefur.typepad.com	Compete Site Profile
108	Austrian Dad	austriandad.blogspot.com	Compete Site Profile
109	JasonPye.com	jasonpye.com	Compete Site Profile
110	Libertarian Advocate	libertarianadvocate.blogspot.com	Compete Site Profile
111	Liberty Web Alliance	libertyweballiance.com	Compete Site Profile
112	Liberty On Tour	libertyontour.com	Compete Site Profile
113	Libertarian Book Club	libertarianbookclub.com	Compete Site Profile
114	Run Rand Run	runrandrun.com	Compete Site Profile

7. “Book Review: Lewis D. Solomon The Privatization of Space Exploration“

Matthew McCaffrey — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:30:56 +0000

by Timothy D. Terrell

2012 O.P. Alford III Prize in Libertarian Scholarship

Matthew McCaffrey — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:03:14 +0000

The O.P. Alford III Prize in Libertarian Scholarship is awarded annually by the Ludwig von Mises Institute. This year’s recipients are Thorsten Polleit and Jonathan Mariano, for their 2011 Libertarian Papers article, “Credit Default Swaps from the Viewpoint of Libertarian Property Rights and Contract Theory.” Congratulations to the authors!

6. “Francis Wemyss-Charteris-Douglas: Champion of Late-Victorian Individualism”

Matthew McCaffrey — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:18:15 +0000

by Alastair M. Paynter

Abstract: By the 1880s it had become clear that the intellectual tide in Britain was turning against the idea of a minimal state. Under the influence of the New Idealists, the Liberal Party, once the champion of individual liberty, had changed into an organ for interventionist legislation. Challenging this movement was an assortment of anti-collectivists including Old Liberals, Tories, and radical individualists. Spearheading the defence of individualism was the 10th Earl of Wemyss, Francis Wemyss-Charteris-Douglas. Most famous for his role in the formation of the Liberty and Property Defence League, Wemyss worked tirelessly in parliament to obstruct legislation deemed inimical to liberty, as well as to organise a mass educational effort to instruct the public about the errors of collectivist philosophy and policy. This paper examines the role Wemyss played within late Victorian individualism and considers how the melding of traditionalism and individualism provided an intellectual home for libertarianism on the Right.

5. “Man and Matter: How the Former Gains Ownership of the Latter”

Matthew McCaffrey — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:05:27 +0000

by Per Bylund

Abstract: This study seeks to investigate the nature of ownership of land, and how the right to its control and use can be inferred from self-ownership as a premise. Hence, the question asked is how ownership (of land) can be justified considering the nature of man from a natural rights point of view. The starting point for the argument is self-ownership as being, where man is identified as an indivisible entirety with inalienable rights to his self emanating from his complex nature. This identification is the point of departure in examining the relation between man and the world, and the concept of ownership. Man’s right to self implies the right to use externals through choice, to “focus his consciousness” in order to achieve values beneficial to his being. The discussion on ownership, as inferred from self-ownership as being, ends in a discussion of the distinct features of land, and how ownership of such can be obtained. The conclusion is that man as a rights-bearer to self can obtain natural use-rights through possession and constructive use of resources, rights which are valid throughout the value-achieving process.

Changes to Libertarian Papers

Matthew McCaffrey — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:46:48 +0000

There have been some recent alterations to the Libertarian Papers website which may be of interest to readers and authors. Below are listed some of the most significant changes:

1) Although articles will continue to be published as soon as they complete the peer-review process, issue numbers and continuous page references are being added for each new volume, starting with volume 4. Consequently, the citation style for volumes 4 onward conforms to standard journal format. Information on old and new citations is available on the web pages of the different volumes, as well as those of individual articles.

2) The guidelines for manuscript submission have been updated and clarified.

3) The “About” page has been revised to include an “Aims and Scope” section.

4. “Recompense for Fear: Is Forced Russian Roulette Just?”

Matthew McCaffrey — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:23:43 +0000

by David B. Robins

Abstract: In this paper I examine Dr. Walter Block’s argument that a criminal should be forced to play Russian roulette with himself to compensate for the fear he caused his victim, with the number of bullets and chambers reflecting the fear caused. I argue that although this will yield the necessary fear that is part of the retributive justice due to the criminal, it is not libertarian justice because of the statistical expected value of the harm done to the criminal. Even if the threat of death is only used as leverage for the victim to demand a large payout to prevent it, thus preventing wealthy criminals from buying their way out of crimes, this leverage is unjust and leads to unjust exchanges.

3. “Norms and the NAP”

Matthew McCaffrey — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:07:49 +0000

by Kris Borer

Abstract: There are many factors that may affect the analysis of ethical problems: the physical acts that occur, the relevant history, verbal communication, contracts, etc. One factor that can be difficult to incorporate is the role that socials norms play. This is because norms can vary widely between societies, and even within societies individuals are not usually consciously aware of the norms that they act upon. This paper examines how norms can effect ethical problems and gives one approach for investigating their effect.