"Ask not what the government can do for you. Ask what the government is doing to you." - David Friedman, "The Machinery of Freedom", p. 21

I am a classical liberal, or libertarian, which means that I am rooted in an intellectual and political tradition which recognizes that humans require freedom of thought and action in order to discover and achieve excellence and happiness in life.

Establishing individual rights is a cornerstone of this "classical liberal" tradition; people are to be left free to conduct their lives, individually and in voluntary cooperation, so long as they do not interfere with others. Individual rights are protected through a set of institutions: free markets and free trade, a free press, separation of church and state, private property and contract, and the rule of law. The classical liberal tradition draws on political theory and human experience in concluding that the free society holds the greatest potential for prosperity, peace, and the flourishing of individuals and communities.

My philosophical basis is largely that of rule utilitarianism, and not any theory of "natural rights."

• Libertarianism - A Primer, excerpts from a new book by David Boaz, which gives a simple and accessible introduction to what classical liberalism is all about.
• The Classical Liberal Tradition, a site by Dr. David M. Hart at the University of Adelaide.
• Understanding the Libertarian Philosophy by Joseph Knight: a brief essay which deals with the essential idea of libertarianism: freedom from coercion.
  
• Free-Market.Net
  
  

• The Politically-Correct Little Red Riding Hood, an amusing new edition of the classical fairy tale, adapted to the politically correct tastes of the 1990s.
• What Is Living and What Is Dead in Classical Liberalism?, a reflection by Professor Charles K. Rowley.
• Notes on the Liberal Constitution, by Nobel laureate James M. Buchanan.
• Economic Freedom, Human Freedom, Political Freedom, a speech by Milton Friedman.
• Friedrich A. Hayek (1899-1992), an article on the Nobel laureate economist who was also a classical liberal; by Professor Peter J. Boettke.
• The Law, a concise and impressive defense of laissez-faire capitalism by 19th-century French economist Frédéric Bastiat. (I do not agree with the theistic foundation of his arguments but I do favor individual rights, on rule-utilitarian grounds.)
• Francisco's Money Speech from the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. This excerpt launches a strong attack on those who regard money as some embodiment of evil.
• Ayn Rand on Socialism. Excerpts from the writings of one of the leading, and most controversial, libertarian philosophers of this century. Here, she attacks socialism at its core.
• A Clarification of Government Neutrality and Discrimination, a brief note by Dr. Niclas Berggren clarifying what it means to say that the government is neutral with respect to the behavior of citizens and what it means to say that it is discriminatory.
• The Cardinal Error of Paternalism, a note by Dr. Niclas Berggren which reveals that paternalism does not constitute a sound basis for government intervention in the realm of voluntary behavior.
• Vad har intellektuella emot kapitalismen? by Professor Robert Nozick, Harvard University (in Swedish). He traces the disappointment of many intellectuals over capitalism to the way the school system gives them incorrect expectations about their future social positions.
• Kapitalism och egoism, an essay by Dr. Niclas Berggren (in Swedish) which makes a case for capitalism on the basis of the insight that man is, at base, an egoist.
• Det fria samhällets dygder, an essay by Dr. Niclas Berggren (in Swedish) arguing that a free society stimulates the emergence of virtues like a propensity to save, thriftiness, and honesty, whereas the welfare state tends to undermine such virtues.
  
  

Are Workers Exploited in a Free Market Economy?

• Exploitation and Interest, by economist David Friedman: a brief but poignant attack on the Marxian notion of workers being exploited by capitalists.
• Marxian Exploitation, by philosopher Robert Nozick: a revealing criticism of the common socialist claim that capitalists exploit the workers.
• Marxism, Capitalism, and Exploitation, by philosopher David Conway: a detailed analysis of Marxist economic theory, with a refutation of the claim that capitalism entails exploitation.
  
  

• An Essay Against Conservatism by Dr. Niclas Berggren, where the logical tensions, the vagueness, and the normative unattractiveness of one of the main ideologies are put forth. - Coming later!
• "Why I Am Not a Conservative", by Nobel laureate F. A. Hayek. Argues for classical liberalism ("Old Whiggism") and rejects conservatism.
  
  

• David D. Friedman, one of the leading economist libertarians presents some of his exciting ideas on his own home page.
• The Home Page of Professor Bryan C. Caplan, an economist at George Mason University, who presents an intriguing set of documents on libertarianism, anarchism, and economics.
• Marknadskraften, a stimulating site devoted to explaining and defending classical liberalism (in Swedish).
  
  

• The Institute for Civil Society, an institute devoted to providing intellectual challenges and support to young libertarian scholars, especially graduate students. Run by my good friend, the great Walter Grinder.
• The Institute of Economic Affairs, an English institute doing great policy-relevant work with a classical liberal touch.
• The Locke Institute, a scholarly institute devoted to exciting research in the tradition of John Locke.
• The Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University is a classical liberal institute with good information about scholarly libertarianism.
• The Cato Institute, a classical liberal think tank in Washington, D.C., with many policy-relevant analyses.
• Timbro, a Swedish conservative/classical liberal think tank.
• Libertas, a Danish journal and organization working for liberty.
• Laissez-Faire Books, the leading bookseller on freedom.
• Reason, a libertarian magazine oriented toward policy analysis.
• Recommended periodicals, by my good friend Dan Klein.