[eugenekop]

My list:

1. John Locke
John Locke is the father of classical liberalism. His theory of natural rights, homesteading, individualism and property rights provide the foundation for the entire movement. He is definitely the greatest libertarian of all times.

2. Murray Rothbard
This genius of original thinking almost single handedly invented and matured the anarcho-capitalism political theory. His writings on economy, legal issues, history and philosophy are so extensive and so innovative, that his place as the greatest intellectual of the 20th century is guaranteed.

3. Adam Smith
Adam Smith provided the foundation of libertarian economics. He gave 19th century the sharpest defense for accumulation of wealth and for free trade. He successfully criticized mercantilism, and his influence on policy makers and the general public is unsurpassed by any other libertarian.

4. Ludwig Von Mises
Ludwig Von Mises's contribution to the philosophical basis for libertarian economy (praxeology), his theory on calculation problems of centrally planned economies, and his explanation of business cycles gives Ludwig Von-Mises a place as the greatest economist of the 20th century. But even more important was Mises's foundation of Austrian school of economics, the only school of economics in the 20th century that kept the fire of true libertarianism and didn't let it extinguish.

5. Milton Friedman
The achievement of Milton Friedman doesn't lie in development of economics. His achievement lies in making capitalism popular again in the late 20th century. His political activism as advisor to Reagan and his contribution in eliminating the draft in the United States were dwarfed by his ability to sway millions of people to free market economics and liberty principles.

[tofu2011]

Good list.

[Eran]

I like your list. It risks the confusion many have between free-market economics and libertarianism. Of your list, only Locke and Rothbard are true libertarians, while the others' contribution is more in Economics.

In practice, I acknowledge, the two disciplines are tightly linked. It would be virtually impossible to make progress on economic libertarianism without a solidly recognized foundation as to the practical advantages of free markets.

I don't know enough about the history of economic thought to properly assign credit to the likes of Bastiat, Manger and the other "first-generation" Austrians relative to the undisputed contribution of von Mises.

I just read de Molinari's "The Production of Security" with Rothbard's introduction. In the introduction, he mentions several others of the French 19th century laissez-faire economists whose contribution we could easily overlook.

In the present, I would also mention Hans Hoppe, Ron Paul and Lew Rockwell, the former as an original thinker, probably the intellectual inheritor of Rothbard, the latter two for their role, similar to Friedman's, of promoting libertarian ideas.

Lew Rockwell's Mises Institute in particular has contributed immeasurably to the propagation of Austrian and radical libertarian ideas.

Two more names deserve an honourable mention. Ayn Rand for popularizing her version of libertarianism, and David Friedman, whose "Machinery of Freedom", I am speculating, converted more people from minarchism to anarchy than any other single work.

[Rich]

5. Milton Friedman
The achievement of Milton Friedman doesn't lie in development of economics. His achievement lies in making capitalism popular again in the late 20th century. His political activism as advisor to Reagan and his contribution in eliminating the draft in the United States were dwarfed by his ability to sway millions of people to free market economics and liberty principles.

Friedman was no Libertarian. He even supported the idea of a guaranteed income. In America's current political environment, he'd be classified as a socialist for his support for increasing the money supply to counteract deflation. He didn't support the Gold standard or getting rid of fiat money.

[tofu2011]

I was going over some of his old speeches on YouTube this morning and to me everything he says has some kind Libertarian tint to it.

[Eran]

Libertarianism is not a binary property.

Friedman is more libertarian than most, not nearly as libertarian as others.

I also think that many of his suggestions should be understood as what they were - attempts to compromise and obtain a politically-realistic goal, rather than an expression of his ultimate aspiration for society.

[SecretSquirrel]

FREDERIC BASTIAT

seriously he is the most unsung hero of libertarianism... ever

[eugenekop]

Why Bastiat?

[SecretSquirrel]

I dunno, its like everyone forgot about him. Can't say why really, when Rothbard himself spoke about him.

[anticlimacus]

One should keep in mind that both Smith and Locke, 18th century writers, were a bit more nuanced than the other 20th writers. Anarchists and socialists alike have been able to appeal to Locke and Smith, who were not opposing socialist or welfare state capitalist politics but monarchical and mercentalist emperialist powers.

[eugenekop]

Okay, I amend my list to include Thomas Jefferson. I don't know how I forgot him.


1. John Locke
John Locke is the father of classical liberalism. His theory of natural rights, homesteading, individualism and property rights provide the foundation for the entire movement. He is definitely the greatest libertarian of all times.

2. Murray Rothbard
This genius of original thinking almost single handedly invented and matured the anarcho-capitalism political theory. His writings on economy, legal issues, history and philosophy are so extensive and so innovative, that his place as the greatest intellectual of the 20th century is guaranteed.

3. Thomas Jefferson
While Locke was the founder of liberalism, Thomas Jefferson was its first practitioner. The declaration of independence of the United States that he authored is a huge monument for limited and restrained government. Jefferson has contributed immensely to the successful and in fact the only implementation of libertarian ideals in a modern state.

4. Adam Smith
Adam Smith provided the foundation of libertarian economics. He gave 19th century the sharpest defense for accumulation of wealth and for free trade. He successfully criticized mercantilism, and his influence on policy makers and the general public is unsurpassed by any other libertarian.

5. Ludwig Von Mises
Ludwig Von Mises's contribution to the philosophical basis for libertarian economy (praxeology), his theory on calculation problems of centrally planned economies, and his explanation of business cycles gives Ludwig Von-Mises a place as the greatest economist of the 20th century. But even more important was Mises's foundation of Austrian school of economics, the only school of economics in the 20th century that kept the fire of true libertarianism and didn't let it extinguish.

[Pants-of-dog]

I like that one guy who actually made a sustainable community of libertarians work for a while.

Oh, wait....