The Passion for Liberty

Tibor Machan defends a libertarian conception of a free society, one in which individuals are sovereign, self-governing beings, not subject to others’ will without their consent. In the tradition of John Locke, Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and Robert Nozick, Machan argues that such a society-far from being hedonistic, licentious, or disorderly-is the best possible ideal for humans. In doing so, he addresses specific issues such as affirmative action, abortion, military intervention, and torture in light of the relationship between liberty and democracy.

Tibor R. Machan is professor emeritus of philosophy at Auburn University and currently distinguished fellow and Freedom Communications Professor of Business Ethics and Free Enterprise at Chapman University.