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The resources on this page are meant to serve as a digital introduction to the ideas of libertarianism and a way kick-start your plans for libertarian activism and outreach.
Students For Liberty’s first publication features a collection of Bastiat’s best essays including such classics as “What is Seen and What is Not Seen” and “A Petition”, along with contemporary essays by Nobel Laureate F.A. Hayek and Atlas Foundation Vice President Tom G. Palmer. In the fall of 2010 we printed 30,000 of these books and gave them to pro-liberty student groups for mass distribution on college campuses.
“There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen.” – Frederic Bastiat
In the fall of 2011 we distributed hundreds of copies of The Morality of Capitalism, What Your Professors Won’t Tell You to student groups around the world. This second Students For Liberty publication combines the writings of various philosophers, economists, Nobel Prize winners, and entrepreneurs to make the case that not only do “markets deliver the goods” as Vernon Smith says, but that a true free market system is a prerequisite for a just, prosperous, and cooperative society.
This second Students For Liberty publication combines the writings of various philosophers, economists, Nobel Prize winners, and entrepreneurs to make the case that not only do “markets deliver the goods” as Vernon Smith says, but that a true free market system is a prerequisite for a just, prosperous, and cooperative society.
“Capitalism is a source of value. It’s the most amazing vehicle for social cooperation that has ever existed. And that’s the story we need to tell. We need to change the narrative. From an ethical standpoint, we need to change the narrative of capitalism, to show that it’s about creating shared value, not for the few, but for everyone. If people could see that the way I see it, people would love capitalism the way I love it.” – John Mackey, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market
The third in our series of publications, After the Welfare State, explains the history and motivations of the modern welfare state, examines its current crisis, explains how it is used as an immoral tool of state control and subjection, and proposes possible alternatives for providing mutual aid in a world after government imposed welfare programs have run their course.
“Young people today are being robbed. Of their rights. Of their freedom. Of their dignity. Of their futures. The culprits? My generation and our predecessors, who either created or failed to stop the world straddling engine of theft, degradation, manipulation, and social control we call the welfare state.” – Tom G. Palmer
The concise book features a collection of essays from a variety of authors and disciplines. The readings show that this is not merely an American or European problem, but one faced by young people across the world. A sample of the material includes: – Castles in the Air (chapter 2 of Financial Fiasco) by Johan Norberg – Mutual Aid for Social Welfare: The Case of American Fraternal Societies by Dr. David Bieto – Reinventing Civil Society: The Evolution of Mutual Aid by Dr. David Green – The Greek Welfare State by Dr. Takis Michas – Classical Liberalism, Poverty, and Morality by Dr. Tom G. Palmer
Who should determine the course of our lives? There is no shortage of people who aim to control others, imposing their will and restricting choice through the force of government.
A new book edited by the Atlas Network’s Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Self-Control or State Control? explains how choosing personal responsibility allows us to regain control over our own lives.
The book features essays by John Tierney, Lisa Conyers, Jeffrey Miron, and several more that delve into the relationship between freedom and responsibility, their philosophical and scientific underpinnings, and the practical value of self-control.
“Each of us faces a great choice,” Palmer writes in the first chapter. “Shall I quietly accept the system of state control or shall I stand up for self-control?”
Why Liberty focuses not just on political theory but also on liberty through the lens of culture, entrepreneurship, health, art, technology, philosophy, and the transformative power of freedom. This collection emphasizes students talking to students, showing that freedom is not an old antiquated idea, but a dynamic and liberating force with the power to change the world.
Launched in Fall 2013, Why Liberty departed from our previous strategy of focusing on specific areas and instead took a broad and multidisciplinary approach to introduce the ideas of liberty. It focuses not just on political theory but also on liberty through the lens of culture, entrepreneurship, health, art, technology, philosophy, and the transformative power of freedom.
Edited by Dr. Tom G. Palmer, the book features articles from experts in the fields of policy, academia, business, media, and student organizing. This collection emphasizes students talking to students, showing that freedom is not an old antiquated idea, but a dynamic and liberating force with the power to change the world. It is time for young people to stand up and say “this is what we believe in.”
A sample of the materials include: – There Ought NOT to Be a Law, by John Stossel – No Liberty, No Art: No Art, No Liberty, by Sarah Skwire – Africa’s Promise of Liberty, by Olumayowa Okediran – The Tangled Dynamics of State Interventionism: The Case of Health Care, by Sloane Frost – The Origins of State and Government, by Tom Palmer
Peace, Love, & Liberty shows that libertarianism is the philosophy of peace and how our ideas are making the world a safer place. Drawing on the disciplines of history, philosophy, poetry, literature, and psychology, Peace, Love, & Liberty shows that peace is possible and how we can achieve it.
Contributor list: Professor Steven Pinker, Harvard University; Radley Balko, The Washington Post; Tom G. Palmer, The Atlas Network; Sarah Skwire, Liberty Fund; Professor Robert M. S. McDonald, United States Military Academy; Justin Logan, The Cato Institute
Liberty 101 is an online course produced together by Students For Liberty and Learn Liberty in which you will learn about the principles of a free society from a libertarian perspective. This pamphlet introduces the concepts that Liberty 101 will cover in greater depth through video lectures by professors, supplementary readings, and assignments designed to familiarize you with the principles of libertarianism and why liberty is essential for human flourishing. While the full course won’t be available until October, you can read the pamphlet now for a preview.
Few of us need convincing that we personally should have liberty. But what about all those other people who are not as wise and saintly as we? Would liberty be bad for them? Can they be trusted to do the right thing if they weren’t made to? Don’t we already have liberty? What exactly does liberty mean, anyway?
Liberty is not just for Independence Day speeches. When we study liberty, we learn that it is the most urgent and important issue facing humanity. Considering that it affects each of our lives many times every day, it is surprising how little is generally known about it. Liberty is the fundamental question of all human relations and morality. Liberty determines whether we will have peace, justice, progress, prosperity, health, and happiness; or war, injustice, stagnation, poverty, and misery.
There is a wealth of information and ideas about liberty, but it is spread among many sources. Often, only one narrow question is discussed, and you may need to know philosophy or economics to understand it. Many quotations are included in this book for the perspective they add, and for the enjoyment of the rich tradition of liberty.
Many people who care about liberty don’t have the time to read everything and fit it all together. And the time could be better spent doing something to increase liberty, instead of everybody “reinventing the wheel.”
But until you understand something, it is hard to get excited about it, or effectively to do anything about it. So the purpose of writing this was to pull together a simple, brief and persuasive summary of the case for liberty.
