Libertarianism, from A to Z

by Jeffrey A. Miron (Author)

16 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0465019434

ISBN-10: 0465019439

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Libertarian principles seem basic enough—keep government out of boardrooms, bedrooms, and wallets, and let markets work the way they should. But what reasoning justifies those stances, and how can they be elucidated clearly and applied consistently? In Libertarianism, from A to Z, acclaimed Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron sets the record straight with a dictionary that takes the reader beyond the mere surface of libertarian thought to reveal the philosophy’s underlying and compelling logic.

Tackling subjects as diverse as prostitution and drugs, the financial crises and the government bailouts, the legality of abortion, and the War on Terror, Miron takes the reader on a tour of libertarian thought. He draws on consequentialist principles that balance the costs and benefits of any given government intervention, emphasizing personal liberty and free markets. Miron never flinches from following those principles to their logical and sometimes controversial ends. Along the way, readers get a charming and engaging lesson in how to think like a libertarian.

Principled, surprising, and thought provoking, Libertarianism, from A to Z, has everything a bourgeoning libertarian—or any responsible citizen—needs to know.

Libertarianism, from A to Z

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Product Details

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (May 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0465019439
ISBN-13: 978-0465019434
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,684,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #774 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Political Science > Reference
- #2291 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Political Ideologies
- #3482 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Ideologies & Doctrines > Conservatism & Liberalism

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Customer Reviews

3.3 out of 5 stars

5 star		32%
4 star		6%
3 star		25%
2 star		31%
1 star		6%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

As an introductory primer, not bad

By J. Jaech on June 3, 2010

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

A to Z provides an acceptable, contemporary introduction to libertarian thinking. I picked it up (Kindle version for Blackberry) after being favorably impressed with the author's speaking ability from listening to a Cato podcast. As a speaker, Mr. Miron is easy to listen to, and as a writer, he's easily read. The book's chief strength is the use of concise, clear language and straightforward reasoning throughout. Its style makes for light reading suitable for that plane ride to the political convention of your choice, and most readers will easily finish it within a few hours. It makes little or no overt effort to proselytize the reader to its libertarian point of view, cites little or no actual evidence in support of its suppositions, draws few contrasts with competing political philosophies, and makes little effort to comment on current events. The "A to Z" organizational principle is not the most effective way to present a political philosophy, but is at least handy for locating topics of interest. Although I skimmed some topics, as a whole the writing remains consistently engaging from start to finish, and reads effortlessly with relatively little repetition. All in all, it is worth reading if your summer reading list includes works on political philosophy and you are interested in a high-level view of libertarianism as it exists today.

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32 of 36 people found the following review helpful

Encyclopedic exposition of libertarian thought

By John Scott on May 3, 2010

Format: Hardcover

Jeffrey Miron is Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard's economics department. He's also an outspoken libertarian (see http://www.amazon.com/Drug-War-Crimes-Consequences-Prohibition/dp/0945999909/ ).

This book is not intended as a top-heavy (theoretical) exposition of libertarianism. It's meant to introduce readers to the coherent fundamentals of libertarian thought.

Topics dealt with include everything from abortion and taxpayer subsidized sports stadiums to the sale of human body parts and global warming.

I highly recommend this book, whether you're a libertarian or not, and perhaps especially if you're not, because it provides a very clear, unambiguous looking glass into the mind of the libertarian.

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Disappointing

By PeerGynt on June 14, 2010

Format: Hardcover

I'm a libertarian and an economics buff, and so I was pretty excited about this book, especially when I saw it being touted by some of my favorite economist bloggers. Well, it's very disappointing.

The book is setup sort of like an encyclopedia, where each entry is a short explanation of the libertarian arguments surrounding an issue. The problem is that the arguments are presented without supporting evidence, and without bothering to rebut the most obvious objections and counter-arguments from the other side (the other side being those who see government intervention to be the ideal tool to solve any societal or economic problem). As a result, even those of us who are already in the libertarian camp will tend to find the book unpersuasive. It certainly will not convert any non-believers.

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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

Falls sadly short of a worthwile read...

By godmyth on August 1, 2010

Format: Hardcover

The most serious drawback to Miron's book is that which may influence its popularity, namely it's size. Admirable, indeed, is Miron's attempt at brevity however the absence of any sort of bibliography, footnotes, endnotes or textual notes is a glaring omission that simply cannot be overlooked in light of some of the astounding claims that the author makes. That he seems to flip flop like a fish out of water is also problematic.

For example, Miron writes that "corruption arises mainly because of laws that impede private profit opportunities or interfere with mutually beneficial exchange (p.49)" Considering the longstanding corruptness of the U.S. government I find this statement nearly as difficult to accept as Miron's belief that politicians, bemoaning corruption, pass laws seeking to curtail it (p.48).

In discussing discrimination Miron believes (p.58) that "discrimination is unlikely to be substantial in market economies because employers, lenders, universities, and others who discriminate put themselves at a competitive disadvantage." One wonders if Miron believes that discrimination would be less rampant than it is today without the institution of anti-discrimination laws.

Concerning campaign finance regulation Miron states (p.30) that "neither theory nor evidence indicates that spending has a large impact on a candidate's electoral success" but then acquiesces that spending is "only one part of winning elections." I'm left wondering what role he really sees campaign finance playing in the election process.

"Laws against violence and theft," he writes, "do not forbid mutually beneficial exchange or interfere with purely voluntary actions, while prohibitions do" (p.61).Read more ›

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Surface level view of Libertarianism

By Greg Reinhart on February 26, 2012

Format: Paperback

Libertarianism, A to Z is a quick, and simple read, useful for a reference. Miron does explain that the book is to be used as a reference and admits that it is not a deep and penetrating document attempting to expose the philosophical views of the Libertarian though, but it does an effective job at quickly explaining to the reader the mainstream view of Libertarianism. The book often overlaps in many areas--something that the author also admits--so it can, at times, be quite dull; nevertheless, the book is a great first read for anyone who would like understand what a Libertarian believes. The author states that the book is based off of consequential Libertarianism, rather than rights-based Libertarianism, so Miron supports his arguments with numerous hard facts of why the libertarian view of non-interventionism is often more beneficial than the modern ways of interventionism. Overall this books a quick read that can enlighten one to the mainstream views of Libertarianism; but in order to expand further one must read more literature on Libertarianism--this book is not enough for a deep understanding.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Libertarianism, from A to Z

This is a gutless, communitarian, bookkeeper's view of libertarianism presented in a simple-minded, philosophically naïve way for people who cannot think abstractly. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Sam Adams

Covers the Landscape

Useful predominantly as a reference for libertarian views on various topics, Libertarianism from A to Z suffers from an encyclopedic layout where, instead of being narrative, it... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Edward J. Barton

A quick read with lots of information

A quick read with lots of information by a professor. He teaches at George Mason University & is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute which is a libertarian think tank. Read more

Published on October 23, 2012 by Robert E. Duncan

No rights, just expediency

Miron's approach is to explain why many popular activities of government are unlikely to achieve their intended results. Read more

Published on July 23, 2012 by Dave Hood

Food for thought

With the current political climate being what it is, the author makes a strong statement for smaller government. Read more

Published on September 14, 2011 by Shirl

a disappointing book that ignores reality

Well, written, yes. Broad spectrum of issues, yes. Authoritative Libertarian thought? Maybe.

After being a lifetime conservative Libertarian of the Goldwater/Buckley... Read more

Published on May 15, 2011 by Aaron Joy

A good primer

A journey accross a number of issues from a libertarian viewpoint. Some are thought through with greater clarity and depth than others. Read more

Published on March 24, 2011 by KAP

Quick shipping, good product

The product came on time in the condition described. The book was a little warped which was probably due to shipping. Overall good, smooth transaction!

Published on January 13, 2011 by Lana

Oversimplified

I came to this book with high hopes, but was soon disappointed. Author Jeffrey Miron states that the essence of his approach, which he calls "consequential libertarianism," is a... Read more

Published on January 4, 2011 by Bill2011

Concise, highly readable book with a few problems.

Miron's encylopedic-format book on Libertarianism is a decent introduction to the philosophy but, as other reviewers have written, is certainly not perfect. Read more

Published on September 29, 2010 by Gods' Will Know-It-All