Liberty: A Path to Its Recovery

F.A. Harper

F.A. Harper was a leader in the libertarian movement from the 1950s and onward. Here is his early manifesto (1949), in which he reveals a sophisticated understanding of free markets and freedom but had not yet, as he later did, come around completely to the Rothbardian view on the possibilities of society without the state. Nonetheless, this is an important and beautiful book that shows Harper for the intellectual powerhouse that he truly was.

Liberty by F. A. Harper
Meet the Author
F A Harper
F.A. Harper

Floyd Arthur "Baldy" Harper (1905–1973) was a Cornell University professor and member of the Mont Pelerin Society. He helped start up the Foundation for Economic Education, codirected the William Volker Fund, and founded the Institute for Humane Studies. At Harper's death, Murray Rothbard wrote, "Ever since he came to the Foundation for Economic Education in 1946 as its chief economist and theoretician, Baldy Harper, in a very real sense, has been the libertarian movement. For all these years, this gentle and lovable man, this wise and Socratic teacher, has been the heart and soul and nerve center of the libertarian cause."

Read Rothbard's memorial: Floyd Arthur 'Baldy' Harper, RIP.

Mises Daily F.A. Harper
Liberty is not a new issue in the world, writes F.A. Harper. Presumably it has been a concern of mankind from the very dawn of his existence. As he battled for life and life's betterment, he must surely have faced constant threats to his liberty, just as he was confronted with the tides, the tornadoes, and pestilences of all sorts. All these must have been a part of man's experience from time immemorial. Prior to any carefully reasoned contemplation of such obstructions, mankind must have battled them intuitively. We may assume that for an eon mankind has battled for his liberty, for instance, without having any deep sense of what liberty really is, just as he battled for his existence among the forces of nature without knowing precisely and formally the laws of natural phenomena.
Mises Daily F.A. Harper
Another enticing sign along the road toward serfdom is "equality." It is one of the most appealing enticements of all, and therefore holds great danger to liberty and freedom.
View F.A. Harper bio and works
References

FEE: 1949; Mises 2007