For a New Liberty

Why it’s on the list: Rothbard’s systematic statement of anarcho-capitalism — from a non-aggression axiom and self-ownership to the argument that every state function, from courts and police to roads and welfare, is either unnecessary or better supplied by voluntary arrangement. The second half works through specific policy areas to show what the principle implies.

Where I heard about it

• Brendan McCord — the anchor of the Anarcho-Capitalism section on his Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List (March 2026), which the curriculum keeps separate from liberalism and conservatism because the argument is not for a better state but against the category. Full transcription: The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.

Connections

• Government — the institution the book argues is unnecessary.
• Capitalism — the voluntary order proposed in its place.
• Liberalism — the tradition Rothbard pushes to its limit.
• The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the curriculum this came from.