Richard A. Epstein
Perseus, September 2003
Epstein argues powerfully that personal liberty and the common good are not mutually
exclusive.
The term common good makes libertarians cringe, because they view it as a catch-all excuse for governments
to increase the power of the state. America's foremost libertarian legal mind,
Richard Epstein, addresses these worries, acknowledging a tension between personal
freedom and social goals, while suggesting that they can be mutually reinforcing:
"Laissez-faire is best understood not as an effort to glorify the individual at
the expense of society, but as the embodiment of principles that, when consistently
applied, will work to the advantage of all (or almost all) members of society
simultaneously."
Epstein is a powerful reasoner, and even skeptical readers will find themselves
slowly drawn down a libertarian path. Principles for a Free Society contains a storehouse of detailed information about human nature and the motives
of state authority. Epstein deserves a place on the bookshelf beside Friedrich
Hayek and Milton Friedman. --John J. Miller
Principles for a Free Society: Reconciling Individual Liberty With the Common Good