Through its win-win approach, Healing Our World illustrates how the rules of social interaction which we learned as children hold the secret to universal harmony and abundance.
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"... combines libertarianism with Western and Eastern spirituality ... challenges the reader to see things in spiritual clarity." -- Paul Whitfield, South Bend Tribune
"... may be the most important book of the decade." -- -- Joseph Terrano, Visions Magazine
"...outlines how non-aggression would look in real-life areas of job creation, health care, environment, poverty, crime, drugs...." -- Teri Murphy, Arlions News
"... may be the most important book of the decade." -- -- Joseph Terrano, Visions Magazine
"...outlines how non-aggression would look in real-life areas of job creation, health care, environment, poverty, crime, drugs...." -- Teri Murphy, Arlions News
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Winner of Freemarket.net's "Book of the Year 2003" award
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57 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
[Mary Ruwart's excellent book is now available in its third edition. This is a reposting of my review of the second edition.]
There are two books I recommend as introductions to libertarian thought. One of them is Murray Rothbard's _For A New Liberty_. This is the other.
Dr. Mary Ruwart's _Healing Our World_ is in some ways a better general introduction suitable for a broader audience, in large measure because it appeals to the better nature of everybody from conservative Christians to hippie mystics: she really _does_ mean, and quite rightly, that libertarian principles are the means for healing our world. Her essential point is that, _whatever_ our goals and beliefs, we can best serve them by honoring our neighbors' choices so long as they aren't threatening our lives or property. For when we do so, everybody wins; my gains aren't your losses, and there really is a common good at which we can both aim.
Moreover, Ruwart carefully and compassionately explains why the libertarian approach is a better way to bring about the (entirely legitimate) goals of the more modern sort of liberal: for example, improving the quality and availability of medical care (including alternative medicines), reducing pollution, saving the environment, and so forth. Readers of, say, the Objectivist/Randian literature might come away with the impression that concern for the well-being of persons other than oneself (let alone the "environment"!) is just incompatible with libertarianism. Ruwart argues that in fact libertarianism offers not only the best way to _promote_ such concern but the only viable way to put it into practice. (On this ground alone, there are probably lots of _libertarians_ who could profit from a close reading of Ruwart's book just to pick up its tone and tenor. Her example of tolerant understanding could lead more "brittle" thinkers to enter empathically into values that haven't exactly been common among libertarians.)
Lurking in the background of Ruwart's exposition is her clear sense of the "market" as simply voluntary human interaction within a framework of obligatory respect for others' well-being. This view should appeal even to readers who don't care for the term "market"; it might, for example, be attractive to various sorts of communitarian and others who worry about the reduction of social life to economic exchange. The essential point is that human society, community, is an organic network of interacting centers of voluntary activity, not a bureaucratic order that imposes mechanical top-down rules via statute or regulatory agency -- and that trying to turn it from the former into the latter is just a fancy way to destroy it.
Ruwart's outlook should delight everybody from Calvinists to Hayekians to Taoists. And there has never been a time at which it's been more important to get the word out on liberty. Get this book at once and pass out copies to your friends; Ruwart's libertarianism has something to say to people of every political and/or religious persuasion or none.
By the way, you can pre-read it online if you know where to look...
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like Murray Rothbard's classic _For a New Liberty_ from years ago, _Healing Our World_ -- despite having a title and cover one might associate with leftist-liberals -- is a fantastic sort of updated "total" defense of libertarianism and introduction to the concept.
Ruwart introduces the groundwork of the non-aggression axiom with less attention on natural rights and private property arguments and more on accessible, plain moral reasoning that is pretty much unassailable. She then introduces the reader to the consequences of aggression, particularly the government's aggression, on society. The government's use of aggression disrupts free interaction between people and thus makes us worse off. As Scott Ryan says below, she shows that liberty is a win-win situation.
Like Rothbard, she mounts a compelling case on numerous issues: Pollution, monopoly, war, foreign policy, welfare, courts, business regulation, minimum wage, police, et cetera et cetera. Her examination of education doesn't give much attention to the actual fact of the State influencing children but focuses on private schooling solutions.
Older versions of _For a New Liberty_ lacked a discussion of one of the most dangerous powers of the State: control over the (fiat) money supply. Ruwart explains fractional reserve banking, the consequences of a central banking system in a way that is _very_ easy to understand.
_For a New Liberty_ has nothing specifically about healthcare. Ruwart fortunately explores two government elements very detrimental to our health: the Food & Drug Administration and licensing/regulation of health care services.
She also expands on some out the arguments Rothbard made briefly in his chapter "Personal Liberty". For one, she looks at armed citizens and the effect of right-to-carry laws on crime rates (citing lots of Bruce Benson's important work). Her chapter on illegal drugs is definitive, showing plainly that creating a black market for drugs is worse than the drugs themselves.
The book mounts a consistent case with nary a concession given to government. Therefore, she makes an anarchocapitalist case without saying she is an anarchist (although she says she is in her libertarian autobiography over at Lew Rockwell's site).
Ruwart does not involve herself much in an "anatomy of the State" (pun intended of course) and its very nature being immoral and criminal, although the overtone is obviously there. The State does bad things and is therefore bad, but the book is about the effects on those things and not the fact that the State is bad. If that makes sense. I think it does.
And, perhaps as a corollary of that Ruwart's overall tone is very accessible and positive. For this reason, she seems more likely than anyone I can think of to prevail on skeptics, whether they are "conservative" or "liberal" (as Ruwart herself once was -- might not impress cold-hearted neo-cons though. Marxists are very deluded too).
And it's really beautifully written and essential for all good people. this review is getting way too long, but I think you should buy it.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Wow! If you read this book with an open mind, it will really make you think about the viability of a common-sense approach to solving (as much as is possible) the world's problems (poverty, war, pollution, etc.). Dr. Ruwart proposes that we should simply interact in society by the same basic unwritten rules we use in being a good friend or good neighbor. She shows, over and over, that when we break these rules (usually for well-intentioned goals), things go wrong and we hurt the ones we want to help.
Her philosophy should be of great interest to both liberals and conservatives as I believe it can achieve the ultimate objectives of those two sides of the political spectrum: peace, freedom, and prosperity. Or if you currently find yourself politically homeless, with your beliefs not fitting either label, you just may find in here a philosophy that fits your convictions.
Besides all that, "Healing Our World" is an easy and enjoyable read, with just enough historical references to illustrate the author's points without getting tedious. And I liked all the great quotations in the margins (from Julius Ceasar to Lao-tsu to Ann Landers).
Her philosophy should be of great interest to both liberals and conservatives as I believe it can achieve the ultimate objectives of those two sides of the political spectrum: peace, freedom, and prosperity. Or if you currently find yourself politically homeless, with your beliefs not fitting either label, you just may find in here a philosophy that fits your convictions.
Besides all that, "Healing Our World" is an easy and enjoyable read, with just enough historical references to illustrate the author's points without getting tedious. And I liked all the great quotations in the margins (from Julius Ceasar to Lao-tsu to Ann Landers).
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Awesome book for a sound introduction to liberty
This is a great book for folks exploring the ideas of liberty and personal responsibly. It answers some tough questions without a lot of unessary babble, Dr. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tarrin Lupo
Liberty is for all people
Excellent book uses evidence to appeal to many types of
people to embrace tolerance, peace and liberty
Good job Dr. Ruwart
people to embrace tolerance, peace and liberty
Good job Dr. Ruwart
Published 12 months ago by J. Martin
Let Loose Utopia
Mary Ruwart's Healing Our World in an Age of Aggression is one of those books that surprises you. The only thing I don't like about it is the awful cover. Bad art. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Tom Field
Don't judge a book by its cover
Despite the ugly cover and fluffy-sounding title, the intellectual ammunition contained within the pages of Healing Our World is worth ten times its cost. Read more
Published on April 24, 2009 by E. Edwards
Best libertarian book there is
I've read quite a few political, government, and philosophy books and admittedly I'm a libertarian but this book is the best one I've read so far. Read more
Published on March 4, 2009 by Kevin D. Brown
Free Market
Dr. Ruwart does an excellent job of explaining in easy-to-understand language how the Free Market works in a wide variety of situations. Read more
Published on January 19, 2009 by Glenn Davis
Won't You Be MY NEIGHBOR, Dr. Ruwart?
This book is a tremendous achievement. It shows how we hurt ourselves when we aggress against our neighbors, either directly, or through the use of the guns of government. Read more
Published on December 17, 2008 by FURB Furbish
Excellent
Dr. Ruwart's book is an amazing introduction to the principles of the libertarian philosophy. Throughout the book, she covers many of today's hottest issues, from environmental... Read more
Published on October 12, 2008 by Kevin Dean
Best Introduction to Libertarianism
This is by far the best introduction to Libertarianism I have ever read. People that are put off by the Economics-based approach of other writers will find this interesting. Read more
Published on June 23, 2008 by Timothy Denton
Should be a required reading
This is an amazing book with an incredible amount of research put into just about every paragraph. This book takes the reader through step by step explanations to how libertarian... Read more
Published on May 1, 2008 by J. Rivera
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
As children, we learned a great deal about creating a peaceful world. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
marketplace ecosystem, righting our wrongs, aggression backfires, ending drug prohibition, freedom from aggression, individual aggressors, healing our world, domestic aggression, drug lag, aggressive regulations, selfish others, becoming aggressors, industrial hemp, money monopoly, pollution solution, using aggression, licensing laws, gun bans, private defense, willing customers, lifesaving drugs, cure worse than the disease, more aggression, freedom index Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Good Neighbors, Good Neighbor Policy, Third World, New York, Federal Reserve, World War, Hong Kong, Ladder of Affluence, Standard Oil, Pyramid of Power, New Zealand, Ruby Ridge, Soviet Union, World Bank, United Kingdom, United Nations, Great Depression, Costa Rica, Pearl Harbor, Saddam Hussein, South Africa, Danish Jews, Donald Scott, European Union New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
As children, we learned a great deal about creating a peaceful world. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
marketplace ecosystem, righting our wrongs, aggression backfires, ending drug prohibition, freedom from aggression, individual aggressors, healing our world, domestic aggression, drug lag, aggressive regulations, selfish others, becoming aggressors, industrial hemp, money monopoly, pollution solution, using aggression, licensing laws, gun bans, private defense, willing customers, lifesaving drugs, cure worse than the disease, more aggression, freedom index Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Good Neighbors, Good Neighbor Policy, Third World, New York, Federal Reserve, World War, Hong Kong, Ladder of Affluence, Standard Oil, Pyramid of Power, New Zealand, Ruby Ridge, Soviet Union, World Bank, United Kingdom, United Nations, Great Depression, Costa Rica, Pearl Harbor, Saddam Hussein, South Africa, Danish Jews, Donald Scott, European Union New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
See all 100 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- Life Extension by Durk Pearson on 4 pages
- The Rule of Experts by S. David Young on page 59, page 69, and Back Matter
- Bank Deregulation & Monetary Order (Routledge International Studies in Money and Banking) by George Selgin on page 133, page 139, and Back Matter
- Wealth and Poverty (ICS Series in Self-Governance) by George Gilder on page 19, page 169, and page 339
- Death by Government by R. J. Rummel in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 100 books this book cites
- Short answers to the tough questions by Mary J Ruwart in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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