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Il libertarianism: saggio bibliografico
Iannello, Nicola
2003
Abstract
The essay is an overview of libertarian literature. It begins dealing with lexical issues
concerning the meaning of liberalism, classical liberalism, conservatism and libertarianism.
There are two meanings of libertarianism: a large one, as a free market oriented liberalism,
and a strict one, as an extreme classical liberalism which calls in question the State as the
main enemy of liberty. Novelist Ayn Rand is one of the main sources for contemporary
libertarian theory, although she never called herself libertarian. Murray N. Rothbard is the
most important libertarian thinker; he was an “austrian” economist and a natural law theorist
who considered free market as the social institution capable to satisfy every human need,
security and justice included. In response to rothbardian society without a State, Robert Nozick
exposed a minarchist position, in favour of a minimal State limited to the function of protecting
individual rights. This distinction between anarchism and minarchism is a crucial one for
libertarian theory. The most interesting current literature is that in rothbardian, natural law
and natural rights style. There is also an italian libertarian literature, including works of
political theory, philosophy of law, environmentalism and history.
Series
Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics
V (2003) 2
Publisher
EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste
Source
Nicola Iannello, "Il libertarianism: saggio bibliografico", in: Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics, V (2003) 2, pp. 1-17.
Languages
it
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