Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism
Interview with Matt Zwolinski about his book The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, co-authored with John Tomasi. Argues that libertarianism is best understood not as a single philosophy, but as a “family resemblance” defined by six core features – free markets, private property, negative liberty, individualism, scepticism of authority, and spontaneous order. Highlights the movement’s diverse intellectual history, demonstrating significant internal disagreements on fundamental concepts like property rights, often stemming from differing historical contexts such as American libertarianism’s anti-slavery origins versus European anti-socialism.
