It is difficult to set forth the libertarian ideal, but expounding it is simple compared to living by it. Nonetheless, life lived according to right principles can never be more than sporadic except as the ideal is sought for, held up, and used as a guide.
Meet the Author
Leonard E. Read
View Leonard E. Read bio and works
Leonard E. Read was the founder of the Foundation for Economic Education — the first modern libertarian think tank in the United States — and was largely responsible for the revival of the liberal tradition in post–World War II America.
This classic article by Leonard Read illustrates how completely dependent the world is on the division of labor — and the more of it the better. Not even the smallest manufactured item can be made by one person alone.
Only if one understands the subjective theory of value may he proceed logically to a belief in private ownership and control of property.
These students of liberty have not yet learned to answer honestly, "I don't know; I never will know; no one will ever know."
References
The Foundation for Economic Education, New York, 1962