The Libertarian and the Leftist

Dear Friends:

I am the co author of this book:

Four Arrows (aka Don Trent Jacobs) and Walter E. Block. 2010. Differing Worldviews in Higher Education: Two Scholars Argue Cooperatively about Justice Education; Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

My coauthor is a Native Indian activist, with views very different than mine. Nevertheless, we have come to understand each other better, and actually become friends during the writing of Differing Worldviews in Higher Education: Two Scholars Argue Cooperatively about Justice Education.

This book is the subject of a three-part radio interview series conducted by Starr O’Hara, [email protected], Internet Talk Radio, Sovereign Starr Show (on BlogTalkRadio) (347) 202-0398, (323) 410-0029.

The first in this series of hour long plus interviews took place yesterday, covering general principles of libertarianism and progressivism (the leftish philosophy of my coauthor) as applied to academic freedom, and is available here:

On the May 4 show we will discuss our differing views on environmentalism and the May 11 show will be devoted to wealth redistribution.

All shows will be broadcast at 7pm est.

There is precedent for cooperative publishing efforts between libertarians and socialist. For example,

Polnar, Murray and Thomas E. Woods, eds. 2008. We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now. New York, N.Y. Basic Books

Radosh, Ronald and Murray N. Rothbard, eds.  1972. A New History of Leviathan. New York: E. P. Dutton.

But there are differences, too. Woods and Rothbard worked with leftists Polnar and Radosh, respectively, on an issue where our guys agree with their collaborators: foreign policy. Four Arrows and I, in contrast, argue cooperatively on areas of sharp DISagreement. (We considered co authoring a chapter on foreign policy in the above mentioned book, but dropped it, dues to lack of any intellectual tension between us.)

So, if you want to see a liberal Democrat and a libertarian tangle on important issues, get this book, and tune into this radio show.

Share

3:22 pm on April 21, 2011