Anti-libertarianism

Advocates of the free market claim that it is the only economic mechanism capable of respecting and furthering human freedom. Socialism, they say, has been thoroughly discredited: the more extreme wing of libertarian thinking would even say that anything other than the minimal 'nightwatchman' state is repressive and, in terms of ultimate freedom, evil. But is the 'free market idea' a rationally defensible belief? Or do its proponents fail to examine the philosophical roots of their so-called freedom? Antilibertarianism: A Market Romance reconsiders the theoretical libertarian stance, starting with an analysis of the model of 'mutually beneficial' exchanges which is at the core of libertarian thinking. Alan Haworth's book is a sceptical exploration of the concepts and arguments which form the tenets of free market politics - he offers the view that libertarianism is little more than an unfounded, quasi-religious statement of faith: a market romance. Moreover, libertarianism is exposed as profoundly antithetical to the very freedom which it purports to advance. This controversial book is for anyone interested in the cultural and political impact of free market policies in the modern world. It will be useful to students and specialists of political and economic theory, social science and philosophy. Alan Haworth is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of North London.