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Healing Our World: In an Age of Aggression

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[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...

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.

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).

I was happy to see that Mary Ruwart put out an updated edition of this great book. (Note: I am quoted in the book.) I loved the first edition and have always thought this was one of the most underrated libertarian books. Libertarians have a tendency to be negative because the political world is not to our liking, yet this book emphasizes the positive side of the case for libertarianism. For every problem that government would deal with by negative means--force and aggression--there is usually a positive solution--through individual peaceful action or voluntary cooperation. Mary explains this as well as anyone has. Hers is a holistic vision, emphasizing the interconnectedness of things. Here is a great example: "Through its domestic aggression, the United States has empowered virtually every threat to its national security in the past 50 years."

This is a book that could permanently change the way you see the world. But that depends on what you bring to it. It is not a book for the cynic, the know-it-all, or the terminally apathetic. It does not give ammo to the power-hungry or feed partisan passions of the right or left. It won't interest those who see only themselves and their feelings as worthy of study, though each of the above could learn from it.

It will, however, with gentleness and grace, uplift, enlighten, and inspire truth seekers whose hearts long for humanity's betterment and whose minds are ready for an exciting intellectual adventure. You'll be introduced to the practice of nonaggression -- honoring our neighbor's choice and righting our wrongs -- and shown how its application is the true expression of what we say we believe about proper human interaction.

Ruwart begins by reminding the reader of sound, basic social rules most of us grew up with, then shows how failure to apply them in the world of politics has caused many of our problems. She looks, topic by topic, at the ways society customarily functions and shows how its methods not only fail to solve problems, but actually create additional ones. And it could hardly be otherwise when methods are ethically at odds with desired outcomes. We reap what we sow, not what we hope for.

Improving the world requires more than noble intentions. Social harmony and its offspring, prosperity, do not come merely from feeling good about ourselves or others. Nor, at the other extreme, are they achieved by pronouncing others unworthy and trying to politically overpower them. Harmony and prosperity come from our simply acting in ways that do not needlessly create conflict.

We can learn those ways. But we need a new perspective -- actually, an old one, one we carelessly discarded without understanding its crucial role in preserving all we hold dear. Ruwart's book can give you that new-old perspective. Don't be deceived by its apparent simplicity -- there is real wisdom here, and it applies far beyond the political realm.

I read every edition. I just ordered a half dozen for my family. It is the most important book of our time, period. In a clear and compelling manner, Dr. Ruwart describes society's biggest problem and the solution. A fitting title.

I agree with the other viewer who said that this book is an overrall better introduction to libertarianism than all the others, even Murray N. Rothbard's "For A New Liberty". Many of the great libertarian writers started from some central axiom. Ludwig Von Mises said that "Man acts to achieve some goal subjectively desired by themself". Rothbard said "self-ownership." And Robert Higgs points out how "Crisis is the Health of the State." The cool thing about Mary J. Ruwart's book is that it essentially starts from the most universal and timeless of moral principles, the Golden Rule. You know that, don't you. Almost any culture that is worth their weight believes in it and many religions even teach it. Mary J. Ruwart eventually constructs an entire anarchist argument upon it though. Or an anarcho-capitalist argument anyways. She covers everything from schooling to welfare to the environment to the destruction wrought by minimum wage laws and licensing laws. All from the perspective of the Golden Rule in a thorough and exhaustive combination of deductive reasoning and inductive historical studies (are you aware for instance of the fact that during the 1920's, the average income of African-Americans was the same of the average income of white-Americans before minimum wage laws and licensing laws). She also covers foreign policy, drug laws, etc. She constructs all of this up from the Golden Rule and points out how government is the enemy of the Golden Rule. It is organized aggression and so long as we support it, taxation, and regulations while not respective private property, then we can't truly claim to believe in the Golden Rule.

"Healing Our World" is one of the top influential books that I have read in my lifetime. It covers lots of topics and gives solutions that, once thought about, make sense. The format is of the book makes it easy to read, yet it covers a variety of topics. The whole book is fascinating.

One of the things I learned is the damage done by our current culture of big government. It harms the most vulnerable -- the poor and the disadvantaged. Many of the programs set up to help people, hurt them. And when you look at the root of the problem, it is because people rely on aggression to solve their problems, instead of voluntary cooperation and peaceful solutions.

This book is great for someone who love peace and is against aggression -- but it would be equally enjoyed by entreprenuers, business people, and those who seek prosperity.

Usually, when you think of "aggression" you think of invading armies. Or maybe you think of schoolyard bullies. But if you haven't read this book you probably never thought about aggression the way Mary Ruwart does, and it's hard to imagine anyone reading her book without having his or her traditional ways of thinking about many things deeply challenged.

I won't give the book away because I think you should read it. I dare you!

This book is true food for thought for every individual, and so beautiful that I started translating it in Dutch, before I even finished reading "Healing our World". I do realy hope that Mary's book will be read by many people, all 'round the world, so we can all start practicing the good neighbor policy and Heal our world.

Mary, I love you for writing this beautiful gift to us all.