Dear Matt:
I really like this article of yours:
McCaffrey, Matthew. 2016. “Admiration Does Not Mean Blind Devotion.” August 11;
https://mises.org/blog/admiration-does-not-mean-blind-devotion
It rings with me to the core, since I’m also in this position. I have great, Great, GREAT admiration for Murray, and I often defend him. Hopefully, not ineptly. Here are some examples:
Block, Walter E. and Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., “Murray N. Rothbard: Giant of Liberty,” Rockwell, Llewellyn H. ed. 1988. Essays in the Economics of Liberty: The Free Market Reader, California: The Ludwig von Mises Institute, pp. 195-199; http://www.mises.org/freemarket_detail.asp?control=476; https://mises.org/library/free-market-reader-0; https://books.google.ca/books?id=Gq-ywTMeqeAC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=%22Murray+N.+Rothbard:+Giant+of+Liberty%22&source=bl&ots=GrSgoAxLsQ&sig=osUR4z-5UhqjuHoCbQVxgW1tNwo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8i9WVY_UNJLlsATnroHYAg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Murray%20N.%20Rothbard%3A%20Giant%20of%20Liberty%22&f=false
Block, Walter E. 1988. “Fractional Reserve Banking,” Man, Economy and Liberty: Essays in Honor of Murray N. Rothbard, Walter E. Block and Llewellyn Rockwell, eds., Auburn University, The Mises Institute, pp. 24-31; https://mises.org/sites/default/files/Man,%20Economy,%20and%20Liberty%20Essays%20in%20Honor%20of%20Murray%20N%20Rothbard_2.pdf
Block, Walter E. 2016. “Does Rothbard contradict himself on punishment theory? No.” May 7; https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/rothbard-contradict-punishment-theory-no/
Block, Walter E. 2015. “Fred James on Murray Rothbard and Walter Block.” October 31; http://www.targetliberty.com/2015/10/fred-james-on-murray-rothbard-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TargetLiberty+%28Target+Liberty%29
Block, Walter E. 2015. “On Murray Rothbard.” December 16;
http://www.targetliberty.com/2015/12/walter-block-on-murray-rothbard.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TargetLiberty+%28Target+Liberty%29
Block, Walter E. 2014. “Was Murray Rothbard a Thick Libertarian?” May 23;
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/05/was-murray-rothbard-thick-libertarian.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29; http://lionsofliberty.com/2014/05/26/mondays-with-murray-walter-block-on-rothbards-thick-libertarianism/; http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/06/walter-block-on-ayn-rand-murray.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29.
Block, Walter E. 2014. “Was Murray Rothbard a Thick Libertarian? Part II” May 23; http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/05/was-murray-rothbard-thick-libertarian_23.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29
Block, Walter E. 2014. “Rothbard on Wenzel on Rand on Free Enterprise Zones, Lowering Taxes.” October 20; http://www.targetliberty.com/2014/10/rothbard-on-wenzel-on-rand-on-free.html
Block, Walter E. 2013. “Rothbard Was No Hack.” October 26;
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/10/walter-block-rothbard-was-no-hack.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29
Block, Walter E. 2013. “I Knew the Jerry O’Driscoll of Murray Rothbard’s Living Room” November 19; http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/11/i-knew-jerry-odriscoll-of-murray.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29
Block, Walter E. 2013. “Hayek is no Rothbardian.” December 21;
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/12/walter-block-hayek-is-no-rothbardian.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29
Block, Walter E. 2012. “Rozeff on Privacy: A Defense of Rothbard.” December 13;
https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/rozeff-on-privacy-a-defense-of-rothbard/
Block, Walter E. 2010. “Contra Horwitz: Walter E. Block defends Murray N. Rothbard,” January 19; http://archive.lewrockwell.com/block/block142.html; http://archive.lewrockwell.com/2010/01/walter-e-block/contra-horwitz/
Block, Walter E. 3/7/05. “Memories of Murray: On Winning the Rothbard Medal of Freedom.” http://archive.lewrockwell.com/block/block46.html
Block, Walter E. 2000. “Murray N. Rothbard: Living a Life of Principle,” January; http://www.mises.org/Blockonmnr.asp
Gordon, David, Walter E. Block and Joseph Salerno. Date? “Murray Rothbard: The Godfather of Libertarianism.” http://www.targetliberty.com/2016/02/murray-rothbard-godfather-of.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TargetLiberty+%28Target+Liberty%29
These are just the tip of the iceberg; only the publications of mine with “Rothbard” in their titles. In addition, there are literally hundreds of articles of mine, and virtually all of my almost two dozen books, in which I cite Murray positively, often, defending him against criticisms unfairly leveled against him.
The risk to my career is that a lot of people think I am, merely, “blindly devoted” to Murray, as opposed to being what I think I am and hope to continue to be, an independent scholar who thinks Murray was the second best economist of all time, and the pre-eminent scholar of libertarian theory.
Best regards,
Walter
PS. This just in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_oIpZ98M9Y
It is a splendid defense, explication, of Murray Rothbard by four of his most accomplished followers: Jeff Deist, Lew Rockwell, Joe Salerno and Tom Woods
5:46 pm on August 13, 2016
