Roy A. Childs, Jr.: The Radical Libertarian Vision

In this talk, Roy Childs speaks about the principles of the libertarian philosophy, focusing on what sets it apart from the left and right in the United States.

Roy A. Childs, Jr.

Roy A. Childs, Jr., was an essayist, lecturer, and critic. He first came to prominence in the libertarian movement with his 1969 “Open Letter to Ayn Rand,” and he quickly established himself as a major thinker within the libertarian tradition. Childs edited Libertarian Review from 1977 to 1981 and was a Cato Institute scholar from 1982 to 1984. He wrote and edited hundreds of book reviews for Laissez Faire Books from 1984 until his death in 1992. Some of his essays were collected in Liberty against Power, published by Fox & Wilkes.

Roy A. Childs, Jr., was an essayist, lecturer, and critic. He first came to prominence in the libertarian movement with his 1969 “Open Letter to Ayn Rand,” and he quickly established himself as a major thinker within the libertarian tradition. Childs edited Libertarian Review from 1977 to 1981 and was a Cato Institute scholar from 1982 to 1984. He wrote and edited hundreds of book reviews for Laissez Faire Books from 1984 until his death in 1992.

In this talk from the Libertarian Party’s 10th Anniversary National Convention in 1981, Childs speaks to a large crowd about the general principles of the libertarian philosophy, focusing on what sets it apart from the political left and right in the United States. Childs makes the case that libertarianism is a political philosophy derived from moral principles that is wholly consistent with neither liberalism nor conservatism’s philosophical stances or policy prescriptions.