Review by Choice Review
This work is the most comprehensive reference source available on libertarianism. Hamowy describes libertarianism as a doctrine that espouses human autonomy and freedom to make personal decisions unimpeded by institutional interference: "So long as decisions are made freely and do not directly harm ... [other people, only] moral suasion and not force" based on laws should be used to persuade a person to alter decisions. The introduction traces how contemporary libertarianism evolved out of 19th-century classical liberalism and 20th-century economic theories. Essays focus on policy issues (gambling, privatization, taxation, welfare state); topics (abolitionism, democracy, government, natural law); and people (Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, Friedrich Hayek, David Hume, Thomas Jefferson) who contributed to the libertarian movement or whose work is interpreted as relevant to libertarian ideology. The essay writers are mainly academic scholars, but others work at think tanks, particularly the Cato Institute, a bastion of libertarian thought. Essayists typically describe and analyze libertarian thought on subjects but also argue the libertarian viewpoint. The work is scholarly but seeks to support libertarian ideas. References to "further readings" follow essays, and a helpful topic guide and subject index are included. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. D. A. Lincove Ohio State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Since the first uses of the term libertarian in the nineteenth century, libertarianism has been quietly, and not so quietly, gaining momentum as both a political philosophy and a social movement in the U.S. and worldwide, most notably during the recent presidential campaign of Congressman Ron Paul, who is most known for his libertarian positions on many issues. Although many people freely throw around the term, libertarian is often misused and misunderstood. Noted libertarian scholar Hamowy has finally provided readers with the first major reference tool on the subject. Although not free of bias (on its title page, the volume is described as a project of the Cato Institute, a public-policy research foundation often described as libertarian), this work is a scholarly presentation of the history, major issues, and broad spectrum of individuals shaping the libertarian vision. Some 163 authors have contributed more than 300 essays covering three major categories: biographies (such as free-market economist Friedrich Hayek); issues (including broad ones, such as War, to more narrow issues, such as Bioethics); and other topics (Praxeology, anyone?). Each entry contains a detailed essay, cross-references to related entries, and references for further reading. Extras include a reader's guide, a thorough index, and a general introduction that chronicles the development of classical liberalism and its modern incarnation. Given the level of interest in the topic and the lack of reference material devoted to libertarianism, this would be a useful addition to academic and large public libraries. Also available as an e-book.--Collins, Catherine Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Maximum freedom plus minimum government equals libertarianism: an oversimplification, but not by much, of this brand of political philosophy. Editor in chief Hamowy, a retired intellectual history professor at the University of Alberta, spells out this book's reason for being in his introduction: "to offer a series of brief articles on the historical, sociological, and economic aspects of libertarianism and to place them within their broader context." That would be fine if that were all this work sought to accomplish. However, the next sentence proclaims that the aforementioned entries "offer a commentary on the unending attempts of countless individuals to emancipate themselves from the control of an oppressive and overweening state, whether one is controlled by a despot or one is acting in the name of the wishes of the people." That reads suspiciously like a manifesto, which has no business in a reference work. In a similar vein, this book is "[a] project of the Cato Institute," as stated at the bottom of the title page, which is a libertarian think tank. Of the 163 contributors, no fewer than 22 are listed as being affiliated with Cato, while a good deal of the others hold positions with the Atlas Society, the Goldwater Institute, Liberty magazine, Laissez-Faire Books, and other ideologically aligned organizations. This suggests that this volume's real purpose may be to advance an agenda rather than to enlighten readers. Other problems include unsubstantiated statements, such as the entry for "gambling" that flatly asserts, "Most Americans appear to enjoy gambling." Midway through the article, a survey by Hurrah's, the Las Vegas casino, is mentioned, but that's hardly an unbiased source. Perhaps the most glaring negative is that there just isn't enough substance to the subject matter to warrant its own encyclopedia. That would explain filler material like "abortion," which relates medical and legal aspects of this procedure but says nothing about how any of this relates to libertarianism. Bottom Line For the straight stuff on any "ism" you can think of and a few you never knew existed, go instead with Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2d ed. (Macmillan, 2006). [Ebk. ISBN 978-1-4129-6581-1. $155; available electronically via Sage eReference as well as Gale Virtual Reference Library. An optional purchase.]-Michael F. Bemis, Washington Cty. Lib., Woodbury, MN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
