Modern political philosophy is commonly understood as a debate within the intellectual legacy of the Enlightenment. Liberalism, socialism, constitutional democracy, secular humanism, positivism, and many forms of modern conservatism define themselves in relation to the transformation that began in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. More recently, another current has emerged in…

In my previous article, I argued that Ayn Rand did not introduce Murray Rothbard to Aristotle. The evidence shows something more nuanced: Rand had a real influence on Rothbard’s appreciation of natural rights and natural law, but there is no convincing evidence that she was the original source of his…

Modern social democracy is usually presented as a moderate alternative to both laissez-faire capitalism and revolutionary socialism. It is described as pragmatic, democratic, humane, and technically responsible. Historically, however, it did not appear out of nowhere. It emerged from the broader socialist movement that also produced Marxism, before gradually exchanging…

From an early Proudhonian point of view, not the later Proudhon of federalism, community is not something to worship, romanticize, or dissolve the individual into. It is something to treat with suspicion whenever it becomes coercive, moralizing, collectivist, or even when it appears voluntary but begins to generate a collective…

It is sometimes claimed that Ayn Rand introduced Murray Rothbard to Aristotle. While this assertion is common in some Objectivist circles, the historical evidence does not support it. What Rothbard did explicitly credit Rand for was introducing him to the tradition of natural rights and natural law. In a 1958…

Curtis Yarvin has argued that libertarianism and Marxism are much closer than their supporters would like to admit. Most libertarians dismiss the claim immediately. After all, libertarianism emerged as one of the strongest intellectual opponents of socialism, central planning, and state power. At first glance, the comparison appears absurd. Yet…

Kantianism is not a single doctrine frozen in the eighteenth century. It is a broad philosophical tradition that begins with Immanuel Kant’s critical philosophy and then branches into several schools. What unites these movements is a shared concern with reason, autonomy, moral duty, and the conditions that make knowledge and…

Few accusations would have offended Ayn Rand more than being called a Platonist. For Rand, Plato represented the great enemy of reason, reality, individuality, and this-worldly existence. Aristotle, by contrast, was the philosopher of logic, identity, objectivity, and the primacy of existence. Rand openly placed herself in the Aristotelian camp.…

Few people would ever compare Vladimir Lenin and Ayn Rand. One led the Bolshevik Revolution and became the chief theorist of Soviet communism. The other became the twentieth century’s foremost defender of laissez-faire capitalism. Politically, they stood at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet they shared one fundamental philosophical conviction:…

At first glance, few figures seem further removed from Bolshevism than Ayn Rand. She became one of the twentieth century’s most outspoken defenders of laissez-faire capitalism, individualism, and private property. Yet according to a thought-provoking academic thesis, the way Rand wrote her novels bears a surprising resemblance to the literary…