From: R
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2017 4:49 AM
To: walter block
This quote is from your article, Block, Walter E. 2010. “Libertarianism is unique; it belongs neither to the right nor the left: a critique of the views of Long, Holcombe, and Baden on the left, Hoppe, Feser and Paul on the right.” Journal of Libertarian Studies; Vol. 22: 127–70; http://mises.org/journals/jls/22_1/22_1_8.pdf; http://mises.org/journals/scholar/block15.pdf; http://www.mises.org/journals/scholar/block15.pdf; https://mises.org/library/libertarianism-unique-and-belongs-neither-right-nor-left-critique-views-long-holcombe-and
On p. 150 you offer, and criticize this quote from Hoppe:
“in a covenant founded for the purpose of protecting family and kin, there can be no tolerance toward those habitually promoting lifestyles incompatible with this goal. They—the advocates of alternative, non-family and kin-centered lifestyles such as, for instance, individual hedonism, parasitism, nature-environment worship, homosexuality, or communism—will have to be physically removed from society, too, if one is to maintain a libertarian order.”
. he’s for physically removing (how, by force?) people (where do they go?) because of what they advocate (just by expressing certain opinions?)
. and this guy is considered a libertarian? this is repulsive stuff, the sort of thing Trump or Moore would agree with.
Dear R: Are you a donor to the MI or LRC? If so, I urge you to increase your level of contribution. If not, I urge you to join me and become a financial supporter. If you are willing in this way to promote Austrian economics and libertarianism, go here: https://mises.org/giving/campaigns/help-us-pack-more-powerful-punch-5 (This, of course, is an open invitation to anyone reading this correspondence.)
I’m a good friend of Hans Hoppe’s. I regard him as one of the most creative, productive and successful libertarians to have ever lived in all of history. He is a chief follower of Murray Rothbard, deservedly so, and I can’t think of higher praise than that. So I resent your attempt to trash him.
Yes, I disagree with Hans on this one point. But, I agree with him, I am inspired by him, on roughly 99.99999…% of everything in political economy. I learn greatly from him, over the years, every time, which is often, that I listen to speech of his or read anything he has ever written.
Lookit, we libertarians have to be more gentle with each other. Murray Rothbard is pro choice, Ron Paul is pro life. They are 180 degrees apart from each other on this matter, and both claim to derive their stance on abortion from basic libertarian principles. It is difficult to think of any two people with better credentials in libertarianism. Suppose I were to call one or both of their views on this matter “repulsive stuff” and in effect say, no actually say, that neither “guy” should be “considered a libertarian.” If I did anything like that, I would be “repulsive” myself. As it happens, I disagree with both. But, I do so in the gentlest, most respectful manner I am capable of. A splendid libertarian leader like Hans Hermann Hoppe, one of our very top theoreticians, deserves no less. I think you should withdraw your calumny of him, and apologize for it.
2:53 pm on December 23, 2017
