David Friedman -- Libertarian

The son of renowned libertarian economist Milton Friedman, David Friedman is one of the leading proponents of "anarcho-capitalism," the vision of a society organized by private property, individual rights, free markets, and voluntary cooperation -- and no government.

His 1971 book The Machinery of Freedom makes the case for this in a witty, entertaining, highly readable and rigorously intellectual fashion. The Machinery of Freedom is considered by many to be one of the most important works of libertarian theory, filled with clever, persuasive and original arguments for most of the basic libertarian positions, regardless of whether one believes that the state can or should be abolished. A second, expanded and revised edition, was published in 1989.

Friedman earned a Ph.D. in physics before turning to economics, in which he also has a Ph.D. He has written numerous articles, many of them path-breaking. He teaches economics and is a devoted fan of science fiction.

Other books:

Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life
Price Theory: An Intermediate Text

Quotable:

"The purpose of this book is to persuade you that a libertarian society would be both free and attractive, that the institutions of private property are the machinery of freedom, making it possible, in a complicated and interdependent world, for each person to pursue his life as he sees fit." -- introduction to Machinery of Freedom.

Last Modified, Mon Nov 17, 1997