Left and Right
Encyclopedia
Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought was a libertarian
journal
published between 1965 and 1968. Founded by Murray N. Rothbard, Karl Hess
, George Resch, and Leonard P. Liggio, it was edited and largely written by Murray Rothbard.
. Rothbard concluded that libertarianism had its roots in the political left, and therefore that libertarians of the Old Right
would be better suited in alliance with the growing anti-authoritarianism of the New Left
.
As Rothbard put it in the opening editorial of the journal:
Following that editorial in the first issue, Rothbard's essay "Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty" was made available to readers. It explained in detail the origin of libertarian thought as an extension of radical, left-wing liberalism and the origin and nature of the unholy alliance of libertarianism with the conservative right.
collected together and published as a book all issues of the journal. The 690-page book was titled Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought (Complete, 1965-1968).
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
journal
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published between 1965 and 1968. Founded by Murray N. Rothbard, Karl Hess
Karl Hess
Karl Hess was an American national-level speechwriter and author. He was also a political philosopher, editor, welder, motorcycle racer, tax resister, atheist, and libertarian activist...
, George Resch, and Leonard P. Liggio, it was edited and largely written by Murray Rothbard.
History
In the 1960s, Rothbard began questioning the alliance between libertarians and conservatives, especially given the vast difference of opinion on such issues as the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Rothbard concluded that libertarianism had its roots in the political left, and therefore that libertarians of the Old Right
Old Right
Old Right may refer to:* Old Right , the ideology and policies of the Conservative Party that predated the ideological shift led by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher...
would be better suited in alliance with the growing anti-authoritarianism of the New Left
New Left
The New Left was a term used mainly in the United Kingdom and United States in reference to activists, educators, agitators and others in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to implement a broad range of reforms, in contrast to earlier leftist or Marxist movements that had taken a more vanguardist...
.
As Rothbard put it in the opening editorial of the journal:
Our title, Left and Right, reflects our concerns in several ways. It reveals our editorial concern with the ideological; and it also highlights our conviction that the present-day categories of *left* and *right* have become misleading and obsolete, and that the doctrine of liberty contains elements corresponding with both contemporary left and right. This means in no sense that we are middle-of-the-roaders, eclectically trying to combine, or step between, both poles; but rather that a consistent view of liberty lncludes concepts that have also become part of the rhetoric or program of right and of left. Hence a creative approach to liberty must transcend the confines of contemporary political shibboleths.
Following that editorial in the first issue, Rothbard's essay "Left and Right: The Prospects for Liberty" was made available to readers. It explained in detail the origin of libertarian thought as an extension of radical, left-wing liberalism and the origin and nature of the unholy alliance of libertarianism with the conservative right.
Book
In 2007, the Ludwig von Mises InstituteLudwig von Mises Institute
The Ludwig von Mises Institute , based in Auburn, Alabama, is a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Its scholarship is inspired by the work of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises...
collected together and published as a book all issues of the journal. The 690-page book was titled Left and Right: A Journal of Libertarian Thought (Complete, 1965-1968).
See also
- Alliance of the Libertarian Left
- Anarcho-capitalismAnarcho-capitalismAnarcho-capitalism is a libertarian and individualist anarchist political philosophy that advocates the elimination of the state in favour of individual sovereignty in a free market...
- Left libertarianism
- Libertarian Forum, The