Freedom, Society, and State - Ludwig von Mises Institute

(29)Or should render. Spencer unfortunately
muddied the waters of his own argument by introducing a
contractual argument for government. But, as Ellen
Paul has persuasively argued, the natural rights position
is in conflict with the contract position: "If
natural rights are proved then consent of individuals
to government is purely extraneous to the question of
legi t imacy" and is ,. therefore, "in contradiction to a
natural rights position." See her, "Contra Spencer and
Nozick: The Time Frame Theory of Governmental Legitimac
y " ( Pap e r Pre sen ted a t the Arne rica n Ass 0 cia t ion for
the Philosophic Study of Society, October 6, 1977), pp.
1 0 - 11. A Iso see Wi I I i am son Eve r s, " Soc i a I Con t r act: A
Cr i t ique," The Journal of Libertarian Studies (Summer
1977), pp. 185-94. For the same argument from a utilitar
ian po i n t of view see Oa vi d Fr i edman, The Mach i nery
ofF r e e d om (N ew Yo r k: Har per and Row, 1973), pp. 173­
78.
(30) Some con temporary phi losophers who argue in a
Spencerian-natural rights vein are Robert Nozick,
Anarchy, State and Utopia (New York: Bas i c Books,
1974), and John Hospers, Libertarianism (Santa
Barbara, Cal.: Reason Press, 1972). Also of interest
is Ellen Paul, Ope cit., and Jeffrey Paul, "Anarchism
and Nat u r a I Rig h t s ," ( Pape r Presen ted a t the Ame rica n
Association for the Philosophic Study of Society,
October 6, 1977).
(31)Ibid., pp. 17-18.
(33)Ibid., p. 18.
(34) John Hallowell, Main Currents in Modern
Political Thought (New York: Rinehart and Winston,
1950), p. 213.
(35)This is the sense which renders utilitarianism
tautological. Individuals are assumed always to act so
a s toma x i m i z e the i rut iii ties; but 0 ned i s cove r s wh a t
i n d i v i d u a 1 s bel.i eve w i I I rna x i mi z e the i rut iii ties by
looking at their actions. See Ludwig von Mises, Human
Action (Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1963), pp. 11-29.
(36)See J. W. Allen, "Jeremy Bentham," The Social
and Pol i tica I Idea s 0 f Some Representat i veTh inke r s 0 f
the Rev 0 1 uti 0 n a ryE r a, e d. F. J. C • He a r n s haw (N ew
York: Barnes and Noble, 1967), pp. 192-93.
(37)Sibley, p. 493.
(38 )Lionel Robbins, The Nature and Significance
of Economic Science (London: Macmillan and Co., 1962),
pp. 139-40.
(39)For a brilliant critique of utilitariansim
from a slightly different angle see John Rawls, A
Theory of Justice (Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, 1911), pp. 22-23.
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