Customer Reviews

Inclined to Liberty

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I have read dozens of books on the topic of liberty and Inclined to Liberty is definitely one of the best I have come across. Louis Carabini does a great job at presenting the ideas in an easy to understand, concise method. I recommended this book as a great, short book which covers important concepts of liberty and dispels many of the common arguments against freedom. It would be an excellent book for people who are new or hostile to the message of liberty as well as those who are already familiar with and in favor of the philosophy.

The challenge many Libertarians face is expressing their views in a manner that can be easily comprehended by others. Lou Carabini provides an ingeniously simple look at the continuum from socialism to liberty. I have spent countless hours conversing with those drawn to socialism, people on the fence, and some more inclined to liberty. In retrospect, nothing could have expressed my point of view better than the contents of this book.

I shamefully admit that I don't like reading books. I tend to get most of my information from journal articles and other short works. I came across "Inclined to Liberty" from a mention by the author. I wasn't sure what to expect, but came away extremely impressed. The book does a tremendous job of capturing and maintaining attention as every chapter captivates you towards wanting to see what the author has to say next. The message of liberty is strong in this book and the points are well made to be easily understood and interpreted by the political and apathetic alike. I have allowed friends to borrow my copy and the first response has been outstanding. If you would like a book that makes for great conversation on liberty and is a short, two-three evening read, "Inclined to Liberty" is for you. I highly, highly recommend this great read on liberty.

Louis Carabini has written what every fan of the free market would love to say to a bunch of big-government college professor types who spout their tired old Marxist slogans at a dinner party.

Perhaps he was too polite to give it back to them in person, or perhaps, like many of us, the perfect things to say came to him in moments of quiet reflection long after the dinner party was over. Fortunately for his readers, Mr. Carabini has written down these perfect responses and well-reasoned arguments, so we may appreciate them.

This book was a breath of fresh air. It is a short book, only 112 pages including the ample index, but it is quite dense. The reading pleasure you will get from this book is understated by it's size.

If you are a fiscal conservative, or a Libertarian, please get a copy of this book.

If you are a fiscal liberal, I challenge you to answer Mr. Carabini's arguments. I'll bet you can't.

A must read for anyone who wants to better understand the libertarian principles that founded our nation and why collectivism has never worked.

Written in the libertarian tradition of Hayek's The Road to Serfdom and Ringer's Restoring the American Dream, Louis E. Carabini's Inclined to Liberty is a concise and discerning examination, both politically and economically, of what it means to prefer freedom to central dictate. The work was inspired by a 2004 dinner party in Carabini's home during which an academic discussion ensued among the guests involving such political cliches as, "No one should be allowed to inherit wealth," and "The salaries of company executives are too high." The implication, of course, was that the State should intervene to balance the scales of "social justice." But upon close scrutiny, what exactly does that entail and what are the oftentimes unforeseen consequences as regards the human spirit? Bringing those ramifications clearly to light in an entertaining and accessible style, while citing facts and historical examples, is Carabini's self-appointed mission.

He begins with an analysis of the human proclivity toward "blame and resentment" and how those emotions are politically manipulated. He asks the questions, does societal inequality necessarily imply victims and villains, and why do we tend to divide ourselves into "them versus us" dichotomies? Carabini then warns of the pitfalls inherent in a strict system of democracy and reintroduces the old concept of "the tragedy of the commons." A consideration is offered as to how wealth is not a static monopoly but rather begets more wealth for all. A clarification is made as to what really constitutes money and how money does not equate with "prosperity." Carabini then berates the news media today for misleading us with skewed reportage and deconstructs the phenomenon of so-called "earnings gaps," explaining why any quest for "economic equality" is not only futile but harmful to the whole of society. As clearly demonstrated, redistribution of earnings and wealth quickly becomes a bane to a healthy economy and everyone suffers the worse for it.

A good deal of space is devoted to a careful exploration of the concepts of jobs, labor and the division of labor and the consequences and stifling effects of intrusive regulation as well as a critique of John Rawls' propositions regarding undeserved advantages in his classic book A Theory of Justice. This discussion leads to a revelation of the flawed reasoning of Karl Marx and his labor theory of value (as opposed to the subjective theory of value) and how unwittingly this philosophy underlies much of today's tragic experiments in social engineering. Carabini ends, however, on an upbeat assessment of where humanity may be headed in the future with the ascendency of technology undercutting the dominance of the nation-state and seeing its influence and control gradually erode away. He concludes, "Those who claim to be a better master of a life not theirs forfeit a part of their own lives, along with a portion of the lives of those who, wittingly or unwittingly, accept such claims as true," and "Liberty is a state of mind that does not require the indulgence of others."

If there is any weakness in Carabini's exposition, it might be found in Chapter 30 titled "Spontaneous Order vs Intelligent Design." Here, while the point he is making regarding natural order is valid, his employment of the term "intelligent design" is misleading connotatively because, properly understood and distinguished from "Biblical creationism," that concept more nearly resembles Adam Smith's "invisible hand" than does Darwin's "principle of natural selection." Nevertheless, the fault is a minor one and in no way dulls the main thrust of his reasoning. Additionally, some might object to the brevity of some chapters, not because the subject is given short shrift but rather because the treatment is so well done that one wants more.

As Carabini himself observes in the penultimate chapter, he has within these pages spelled out convincingly for the reader the economic benefits of liberty with an emphasis on utility and prosperity. Nevertheless, he admits in the first chapter that in his opinion people are in general attracted to one of two opposing camps-those inclined to liberty and those inclined to mastery-and it is rare that exposure to additional evidence and facts sways anyone to switch camps. Yet a book such as this makes excellent reading for those of either camp by dispelling a good many misconceptions planted by a feckless media and conniving politicians, thereby providing even the liberty doubters with an accurate and faithful representation of the vision they themselves claim to oppose.

If you were to ask Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Paine to select a modern champion of individual freedom, I don't think they would hesitate to endorse Louis Carabini. His book, Inclined to Freedom, is a concise, logical rebuttal to the emotion based arguments used by those who think they have the knowledge and the right to control your life.

This is a solid, quick libertarian read. It could help some open-minded, but not yet libertarian, get more interested into looking into the philosophy further.

If you're the type of person who minds his own business, celebrates creativity and achievement, follows the Golden Rule and reforms himself before reforming the world, this book explains why the example you're setting is one the world desperately needs. If, on the other hand, you waste your time pulling yourself up by dragging others down and planning other people's lives, then you desperately need this book! Are you inclined to liberty or are you inclined to serfdom? Lou Carabini offers an incisive and entertaining analysis that you won't put down until you've finished it.

This is a wonderful book that can be used to introduce people to "liberty". So many people aren't really aware of why liberty is the better option, this book explains the basics of liberty and should be a must read for everyone, whether a veteran freedom fighter, a "rookie", someone "on the fence" and even those opposed to liberty all together.