Libertarianism, from A to Z

Jeffrey Miron sets the record straight with a dictionary of libertarian views on everything from abortion to the war on terror.

David Boaz

David Boaz was a distinguished senior fellow of the Cato Institute and played a key role in the development of the Cato Institute and the libertarian movement. He was the author of The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom and the editor of The Libertarian Reader.

Boaz was a provocative commentator and a leading authority on domestic issues such as education choice, drug legalization, the growth of government, and the rise of libertarianism. Boaz was the former editor of New Guard magazine and was executive director of the Council for a Competitive Economy prior to joining Cato in 1981. The earlier edition of The Libertarian Mind, titled Libertarianism: A Primer, was described by the Los Angeles Times as “a well-​researched manifesto of libertarian ideas.” His other books include The Politics of Freedom and the Cato Handbook for Policymakers.

His articles have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, National Review, and Slate, and he wrote the entry on libertarianism for Encyclopedia Britannica. He was a frequent guest on national television and radio shows and has appeared on ABC’s Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, CNN’s Crossfire, NPR’s Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered, The McLaughlin Group, Stossel, The Independents, Fox News, BBC, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other media.

Jeffrey A. Miron

Jeffrey A. Miron is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Harvard’s Economics Department

Tom G. Palmer

Tom G. Palmer is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, director of the Institute’s educational division, Cato University, Executive Vice President for International Programs at Atlas Network, and author of Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice, among other works.

Featuring the author Jeffrey A. Miron, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Harvard University; with comments by Tom G. Palmer, Vice President, Atlas Foundation, Author, Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice. Moderated by David Boaz, Vice President, Cato Institute. Libertarian principles seem basic enough — keep government out of boardrooms, bedrooms, and wallets, and let markets work the way they should—but what reasoning justifies those stances, and how can they be elucidated clearly and applied consistently? In Libertarianism, from A to Z, Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron sets the record straight with a dictionary of libertarian views on everything from abortion to the war on terror. Tackling subjects as diverse as prostitution and drugs, the financial crises and the government bailouts, federalism and utilitarianism, Miron takes the reader on a tour of libertarian thought. Taking issue with rights-​based libertarian philosophers, he makes the argument for a consequentialist libertarianism that balances the costs and benefits of any given government intervention, emphasizing personal liberty and free markets. Miron never flinches from following those principles to their logical and sometimes controversial ends. Principled, surprising, and thought provoking, Libertarianism, from A to Z, has everything a budding libertarian — or any responsible citizen — needs to know.