Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed

by Andrew Koppelman

Overview

A lively history of American libertarianism and its decay into dangerous fantasy.

In 2010 in South Fulton, Tennessee, each household paid the local fire department a yearly fee of $75.00. That year, Gene Cranick's house accidentally caught fire. But the fire department refused to come because Cranick had forgotten to pay his yearly fee, leaving his home in ashes. Observers across the political spectrum agreed—some with horror and some with enthusiasm—that this revealed the true face of libertarianism. But libertarianism did not always require callous indifference to the misfortunes of others.

Modern libertarianism began with Friedrich Hayek’s admirable corrective to the Depression-era vogue for central economic planning. It resisted oppressive state power. It showed how capitalism could improve life for everyone. Yet today, it's a toxic blend of anarchism, disdain for the weak, and rationalization for environmental catastrophe. Libertarians today accept new, radical arguments—which crumble under scrutiny—that justify dishonest business practices and Covid deniers who refuse to wear masks in the name of “freedom.”

Andrew Koppelman’s book traces libertarianism's evolution from Hayek’s moderate pro-market ideas to the romantic fabulism of Murray Rothbard, Robert Nozick, and Ayn Rand, and Charles Koch’s promotion of climate change denial. Burning Down the House is the definitive history of an ideological movement that has reshaped American politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250280138
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	224,284
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

ANDREW KOPPELMAN is an award-winning John Paul Stevens Professor of Law at Northwestern University. He is the author of Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty? and The Tough Luck Constitution and the Assault on Health Care Reform. His work has appeared in USA Today, CNN.com, The New Republic, Salon, The Chicago Tribune, and Vox. He is a regular contributor to The Hill and to Balkinization, a leading blog in constitutional law.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Prosperity 25

2 Rights 74

3 Tyranny 107

4 Nanny 151

5 Liberty 173

6 Moochers 187

Conclusion 230

Acknowledgments 239

Analytical Table of Contents 242

Notes 246

Index 301

Editorial Reviews

07/18/2022

Northwestern University law professor Koppelman (Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty?) argues in this pointed and persuasive critique that libertarianism has mutated into “an infantile fantasy of godlike self-sufficiency.” Tracing the core principles of “modern American libertarianism” to Austrian political philosopher Friedrich Hayek, Koppelman details how Hayek’s belief that “opportunities created by the free markets” are the best way to alleviate poverty has been corrupted by thinkers including Ayn Rand, Robert Nozick, and Murray Rothbard, who share an extreme commitment to property rights, hostility to government regulation, and a willful blindness to market externalities such as pollution and the emergence of noncompetitive monopolies. This extreme form of libertarianism, Koppelman shows, has inspired Republican Party policy from the 1994 Contract with America to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and is behind the party’s steadfast opposition to Obamacare and environmental regulation. Though Koppelman’s contention that Hayek’s “middle way” aligns with modern-day Democratic principles has some blind spots—including Hayek’s ambivalence toward antitrust laws—he makes a strong case that “unregulated markets cannot deliver a livable world.” This treatise has the power to reach readers on both the right and the left. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

An absolutely indispensable guide to understanding the nature the modern Libertarian movement. Koppelman writes in the best tradition of fair-minded and deeply insightful historians, making his findings all the more unsettling. He shows how a near-Utopian vision of government-free humanity has evolved into a corrosive and ultrapowerful force in American politics today. This book is a wake-up call to anyone who cares about American democracy.”
—Christopher Leonard, author of the New York Times bestseller Kochland.


“Andrew Koppelman mounts an elegant and thorough criticism of the classical-liberalism-off-the-rails of people like Ayn Rand or Senator Rand Paul. Even we real classical liberals need to face up to his criticisms. Maybe, as he argues, the world needs more regulation and redistribution. Quantitatively speaking, I think not. But read the book, and get a lot smarter about the case pro and con.”
-Deirdre McCloskey, Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication, University of Illinois at Chicago

“It is an important contribution to philosophical debates about the nature and extent of the divide between classical liberalism and libertarianism. More important, it brings much needed clarification to public debates over the proper role of capitalism in a democratic society.”
-Samuel Freeman, Emeritus Avalon Professor in the Humanities, University of Pennsylvania

“Unlike other critics of libertarianism, Andrew Koppelman took the effort to understand it. The payoff is not just an erudite critique of certain strands of libertarianism, but an appreciation for what moderate Hayekian libertarianism has to teach both the left and the right.”
-David Bernstein, University Professor, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

“This treatise has the power to reach readers on both the right and the left.”
-Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

09/01/2022

Koppelman (John Paul Stevens Professor of Law, Northwestern Univ.; Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty?) argues that despite seemingly opposite ideologies, U.S. liberals and libertarians have commonalities that should bring them together, in an era when libertarianism's free-market, small-government philosophy has become a driving force behind the Republican Party. The author writes from the perspective of a self-described "pro-capitalism leftist" and highlights points at which liberal and libertarian thinking converge. He posits that the current iteration of libertarianism used by the GOP is flawed, while classical libertarianism has crossover appeal. He looks at the history of libertarianism, highlights major thinkers including Friedrich Hayek and Murray Rothbard, and interrogates central principles of the ideology, such as the rights to personal liberty and property, through the lens of famous libertarian theorists. He also addresses major criticisms and limitations of libertarian thought and looks at the current political landscape, tracing how it has influenced the Republican Party through donations and political fights over Obamacare, the government's response to the 2008 recession, and COVID. VERDICT An interesting critical exploration of libertarian thought.—Rebekah Kati

Library Journal

2022-07-26
Libertarianism and the common good.

Law professor Koppelman, identifying himself as a “pro-capitalism leftist,” offers a thorough examination of libertarianism and a vigorous critique of thinkers who have corrupted it into “an infantile fantasy of godlike self-sufficiency.” As the author notes, “investigating philosophical debates in the law is what I do. I soon found that libertarianism comes in flavors, some more bitter than others.” Koppelman defines libertarianism as “a mutated form of liberalism,” which “holds the purpose of government to be guaranteeing to individuals the freedom to live as they like.” Founded by Nobel laureate economist Friedrich Hayek, libertarianism proposed that unregulated markets “promise a better life for everyone.” Hayek believed that “if you want more for the poor, you shouldn’t try to equalize. You should make the economy grow, and that means letting the rich keep quite a lot of what they have.” However, as interpreted by economist Murray Rothbard, philosopher Robert Nozick, and novelist Ayn Rand (“a hot ball of rage”), libertarianism has become a justification for “crass predation.” Of the three, Koppelman sees Rothbard—who has influenced “America’s most powerful libertarian, Charles Koch”—as the most noxious. “Nozick and Rand are minimal-state libertarians,” writes the author.” They want the state to prevent force and fraud but do nothing else. Rothbard is an anarcho-capitalist. He wants to do away with the state altogether.” Koppelman makes a persuasive case for the need for state regulation and protection in areas such as workplace safety, consumer protection, drug laws, anti-discrimination laws, and financial protection. “Rejecting paternalistic regulation, because you hate the idea that your competence is limited,” Koppelman asserts, “is like attacking the practice of medicine because you hate the idea of being vulnerable to illness.” Because the individual is embedded within and supported by society, freedom is nothing less than “a collective achievement.”

A cogent analysis of a misunderstood political philosophy.

Kirkus Reviews