"Murray Rothbard Was a Badass" -- An Interview with Walter Block

Mar 30, 2010 at 6:10 AM

By Matt Cockerill

I had the great pleasure of interviewing libertarian stalwart Walter Block Friday afternoon. The great economist/philosopher discussed his personal story of coming to liberty, his remarkable memories of the brilliant Murray Rothbard, his view on a couple controversial applications of libertarian ideology --in age of consent laws and whether or not "free market" monopolies exist -- and the moral obligation of a libertarian living in a statist world.

Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

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finished the first part, it was good, but i would like to see a downloadable mp3 file.

Submitted by castleahh (not verified) on March 28, 2010.

Walter is, by far, one of the most entertaining to listen to. He never disappoints. Everytime I hear a lecture or interview I gain another angle. It's very important that aspiring libertatrians hear this man's perspectives. His ability to apply libertarian philosophy to everyday problems is uncanny. I simply cannot say enough about this man.

Submitted by Average Joe (not verified) on March 29, 2010.

Yes, I was hoping to find an mp3 file, too.

I listen to things like this in my car, not sitting passively in front of my computer.

Submitted by Bob_Robertson (not verified) on March 30, 2010.

Where's the mp3 file? I don't have time to sit infront of a computer and watch this...

Submitted by Jimbo (not verified) on March 30, 2010.

thanks for the feedback. I'll be sure to provide one next time.

Submitted by Matt Cockerill on March 30, 2010.

Both of you got the age of consent issue entirely wrong. The "age of consent" is a monstrous violation of the rights of people to consent to voluntary activities. Furthermore, until around the turn of the 20th century, the age of consent was a reasonable 10 or 12 rather than the current outrageously high number that leads to injustice (laws against prostitution are also a creation of the "Progressive" Era). Yes, a person under the age of 12 is clearly unable to consent to sexual activity, but provided that a person over 12 is aware of what he/she is consenting to, he/she has a clear right to do so. The "laws" against "statutory rape" are a violation of the non-aggression axiom. This is not a difficult issue in the slightest for libertarians, except for people who are either ageists or anti-sexual. Because of the laws of biology, "teenagers" (a word that is a slur) are going to violate the age of consent "laws" anyway and any attempt to enforce such "laws" will only lead to injustice. The current witchhunt against "teen" sex (and "teen" pregnancy) has its roots in religious extremism, anti-male feminism, and the environmentalism (that is, in anti-sexualism and "population control").

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 30, 2010.

I think David Friedman's essay on justice in an anarchist society answers this question the best.

Submitted by George Edwards on March 30, 2010.

I'd never heard the Ayn Rand lunch story before, that was great. ;-)

Submitted by Speedmaster (not verified) on March 30, 2010.

Try http://www.savevid.com/ This will give you the option to download the YouTube video in three differeent formats, one being MP4 which most digital audio players will play back.

Submitted by Alex Zoum (not verified) on April 10, 2010.