Welcome

This site is devoted to advancing the rights-based political philosophy first articulated by John Locke and championed prominently in our day by the late Robert Nozick in his classic Anarchy, State, and Utopia [1974].  It will do so by explaining minimal state libertarianism in a way that is accessible to the intelligent general reader and by hosting a forum that will subject its key ideas to scrutiny and debate.

I make my own modest contribution to this cause in my book, Nozick’s Libertarian Project: An Elaboration and Defense (London: Continuum International, 2011). My second book on this subject, Libertarian Philosophy in the Real World: The Politics of Natural Rights, was published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2015. For additional information about libertarianism, this site, my books, and your host, please follow the links to the left.

New on the Blog

Free Speech: Again, Misunderstood and Underappreciated

Posted on February 16, 2026 by Mark Friedman

As some of you know by now, I have taken time away from my libertarian-minded commentary to focus on my Jewish theology blog. Nevertheless, when I encounter an influential public figure such as Josh Hammer writing something that impugns the absolute (apart from unrealistic philosophical thought experiments) value I assign to free expression, the temptation to reply becomes too powerful to resist. As I (following Nozick) argue in chapter three of my Libertarian Philosophy in the Real World, the paramount value of human life rests on our “rational agency;” that is, the Kantian notion of persons as responsible moral agents. Continue Reading »

The Iran Protests and Humanitarian Interventions

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Mark Friedman

Many years ago I posted an essay on this site that challenged the sharp distinction many libertarians make between military interventions based solely on a state’s obligation to defend its citizens against aggression and “humanitarian” interventions, i.e. those  intended to defend non-citizens in other states (think Rwanda). While a state is morally obligated to defend its own citizens against unprovoked attack, aggression against other states may still implicate our rights. Accordingly, depending on the circumstances a humanitarian intervention may still be morally permissible on libertarian grounds.

The current protests in Iran seem to present such a case, and thus I believe it timely to re-post my 2017 essay. Comments are of course always welcome.