Publisher Description

This work focuses on the topic of freedom. The author starts with the old issue of free will - do we as individual human beings choose our conduct, at least partly independently, freely? He comes down on the side of libertarians who answer Yes, and scorns the compatibilism of philosophers like Daniel Dennett, who try to rescue some kind of freedom from a physically determined universe. From here he moves on to apply his belief in radical freedom to areas of life such as religion, politics, and morality, tackling subjects as diverse as taxation, private property, justice and the welfare state.

Author Biography

Tibor R. Machan teaches ethics at Chapman University and is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

Table of Contents

I: Free Will Reconsidered, II: Politics, Faith and God's Non-Existence, III: Individualism, IV: Liberty and Morality, V: What's Worst About Taxation and What can Take its Place?, VI: The Ethics of Private Property? VII: Justice and the Welfare State, VIII: Disputing Positive Rights, IX: Can Commerce Inspire?

Review

"[The right road to radical freedom] is a good piece of work and stimulates interest in libertarian philosophy. Readers will find the book interesting, even if the do not subscribe to the views expressed by Machan." -- V. Prabhu Metapsychology

Long Description

This work focuses on the topic of freedom. The author starts with the old issue of free will -- do we as individual human beings choose our conduct, at least partly independently, freely? He comes down on the side of libertarians who answer Yes, and scorns the compatibilism of philosophers like Daniel Dennett, who try to rescue some kind of freedom from a physically determined universe. From here he moves on to apply his belief in radical freedom to areas of life such as religion, politics, and morality, tackling subjects as diverse as taxation, private property, justice and the welfare state.

Review Quote

"[The right road to radical freedom] is a good piece of work and stimulates interest in libertarian philosophy. Readers will find the book interesting, even if the do not subscribe to the views expressed by Machan." V. Prabhu, Metapsychology.

Details