I Chose Liberty - Ludwig von Mises Institute

106 I Chose Liberty: Autobiographies of Contemporary Libertarians
They include my friends: Walter Block, Jeff Hummel, Jack Pugsley, Richard Winger
(whom I first met at a meeting of the San Francisco Libertarian Party), and David Ramsey
Steele, and David Friedman, both of whom I met through Jeff Hummel.
Walter introduced me to others: Murray Rothbard, Marshall Fritz, Thomas Szasz,
Richard Stroup, Jane Shaw, Ken Schoolland, Victor Niederhoffer, Ed Stringham, Ben
Powell, and Roy Childs.
Some I originally met at libertarian conferences: Harry Browne, Ron Paul, Michael
Cloud, Sam Konkin, Vince Miller, Sharon Harris, Mary Ruwart, and Jarret Wollstein.
In addition, I carried on a long email exchange with Nathaniel Branden discussing his
fatally flawed notion of self-esteem.
Through many conversations Hummel and Steele have influenced my libertarian
thinking. However, I have been—and continue to be—most influenced by Block and
secondarily by Rothbard’s writings and archived talks.
Dr. Michael R. Edelstein is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco.
25
RICHARD A. EPSTEIN
THE ACCIDENTAL LIBERTARIAN
I have been asked to comment briefly on the formative influences that have led me to
fall into what may be generally called the libertarian camp. I use this term with a certain
amount of caution because, like all great concepts, it has attracted multiple meanings that
can easily impede analysis. Many individuals regard themselves as civil libertarians. To the
logically minded, this group looks like a subset of the broader libertarian camp, with a
special emphasis upon such non-economic activities as speech, religion and sexual conduct.
While, by and large, this capsule summary offers an accurate description of civil libertarians,
it overlooks the fact that many of these same civil libertarians actively support the
extension of improper government regulation into economic areas. They think it appropriate
to believe in freedom of association for religious groups, or for same sex couples, or gay
marriage, but at the same time support the strong imposition of anti-discrimination laws
in economic matters. My libertarianism runs deeper and includes both economic and noneconomic
behavior under a common umbrella.