[Letter dated July 16, 1961, from Murray Rothbard to Dr. F.A. "Baldy" =
Harper,=20
William Volker Fund]
Dear Baldy:
I have been considering with a great deal of interest the ideas that =
you=20
mentioned to me a few months ago of an institute for libertarian =
research and=20
scholarly activity. For the past 15 years, I have believed that a =
scholarly=20
libertarian institute is one of the great needs on the American scene, =
and I now=20
believe that the time is particularly ripe for such an endeavor. I am =
therefore=20
enormously enthusiastic about the idea.
There are many reasons why such a center of libertarian thought and =
research=20
is vitally necessary. One is that no sharp transformation of social =
philosophy,=20
such as we have been trying to effect these past years, has ever come =
about=20
without such active centers.
Over the past years, libertarian thought has been able to filiate and =
cross-fertilize by informal and haphazard methods. When the "members" of =
an=20
ideological "movement" are small in number, it is possible, for a time, =
to=20
subsist and advance purely through friendly contact and discussion. But =
it=20
should be evident that such haphazard methods can only be temporary and =
will be=20
ephemeral unless superseded by centers of research and activity. Without =
such=20
centers, there will be an inevitable and tragic tendency for individual=20
libertarians to fade away into the surrounding cultural climate.
Without an institute, in short, libertarians, particularly =
libertarian=20
scholars, remain completely isolated amidst largely hostile, or at best=20
indifferent, colleagues and publics. An isolated libertarian professor =
is in=20
danger of being ridiculed by his colleagues, and hence, by the student =
body.=20
Moreover, he is in danger of losing his libertarianism by failure of =
steady and=20
fruitful contact with like-minded thinkers.
Individual research grants are of course vitally necessary to advance =
libertarian research and thought. But they do not supply the need for a =
center=20
of study. In such a center, or institute, the best libertarian scholars =
should=20
meet, exchange ideas, cross-fertilize, publish their views, and, in =
general, to=20
exercise a "multiplier" or leverage effect on the advancement of =
libertarian=20
ideas. In an institute, each will stimulate the productivity of the =
other,=20
hostility or indifference will be replaced by encouragement, and =
libertarians=20
will make it their goal to become appointed to the institute.
Furthermore, and especially important, a scholarly, interdisciplinary =
journal=20
published by the institute would further advance libertarian thought, =
and would=20
bring the knowledge of the existence of such a stream of thought to =
college=20
students, faculty members, and the intellectuals generally throughout =
the=20
country. A magazine of opinion is an extremely important instrument to =
stimulate=20
a school of thought, to develop productivity, to generate a stream of =
ideas,=20
etc.
A libertarian scholar, for example, who might now be interested in =
writing a=20
journal article on some important but unfashionable phase of libertarian =
thought=20
is not now inclined to write it because he knows full well that it would =
probably not be published. Every person involved in this situation is =
the loser;=20
all of us are the losers because we do no receive the benefit of the =
article,=20
and therefore lose the contribution to libertarian thought which could =
have been=20
made; and he =E2=80=94 the would-be author =E2=80=94 is the loser =
because his thinking along=20
these lines has not been stimulated. The Volker Fund's establishment of =
its=20
Humane Studies Series has already taken an excellent similar step in=20
establishing a center for book publication; what is also needed is an =
open=20
center for publication of articles, and for personal contact.
There is another phase of this topic, the importance of which cannot =
be=20
underestimated. It is vitally important to stimulate libertarian ideas =
in young=20
people. We all recognize this. It is similarly vitally important to be =
able to=20
find and welcome young libertarians. There is no way now of doing this; =
an=20
institute by providing a publicized, open center of activity, would =
serve as a=20
beacon of light for young potential libertarians, and its scholarly =
journal=20
would serve as the messenger in libraries and newsstands over the =
country.
This means that an unknown libertarian student in Keokuk or professor =
at=20
Sioux City has a place where he can write and go and meet his true =
intellectual=20
colleagues. There is no place now where this most important function can =
be=20
performed. The fellowship programs of the Fund for studies with Mises =
and Hayek=20
are fine and very important; but it is still true that a libertarian =
scholar who=20
does not happen to be interested in economics at NYU School of Business =
or in=20
the Committee of Social Thought (and, after all, the number of fellows =
even if=20
he is interested is necessarily limited), is not able to find his way =
into the=20
libertarian picture.
A libertarian institute, then, could provide a center, a place where =
the best=20
libertarian scholars could go and exchange ideas and develop their =
ideas, where=20
budding libertarian scholars could be instructed through personal =
contact and=20
through a scholarly journal, where the present repressive isolation of =
the=20
libertarian scholar would be ended, and a leverage effect would be =
produced both=20
on the state of libertarian thought itself and on the number of =
newcomers into=20
the fold. I can see no more important activity than this, no better way =
to=20
advance this stream of thought and its adherents. I believe firmly that =
until=20
such an institute be established, libertarian thought in America will =
never be=20
on a firm foundation.
I said before that I thought the time particularly ripe for a =
libertarian=20
institute. There are, roughly, two reasons for this. First, there are =
enough=20
able libertarian scholars now to staff such an endeavor, something which =
might=20
not have been true 15 years ago. Second, the growth of the =
"conservative"=20
movement provides a challenge as well as an opportunity; for there is a =
very=20
great danger that young people who are inclined in a libertarian =
direction, but=20
who have no channel for developing this direction, will get lost in the =
general=20
conservative picture, will expend their energies picketing for Goldwater =
or some=20
such ephemeral activity.
Thus, while the present climate of opinion offers young people who =
are=20
inclined toward libertarian views, it also offers temptations to go off =
on=20
other, less important paths, which may end in such mass diversion that =
the=20
libertarian movement will be swamped altogether. So much the more reason =
for=20
launching a libertarian institute now and offering an intellectual =
center for=20
nourishing libertarian youth and other newcomers, as well as advancing =
the=20
knowledge of the already-extant libertarians.
There are, I believe, several critical prerequisites for a successful =
libertarian institute. One, that the staff members be scholars and =
libertarians,=20
and not people who are vaguely "right wing." There are enough Thomas Molnars =
and Willmoore =
Kendalls in=20
existence without deliberately creating a new institute for them; and =
putting=20
such "conservatives" in these positions would defeat the entire purpose =
of=20
establishing an institute in the first place. This matter of selection =
is very=20
important but I think can be successfully surmounted.
Second, the institute should be a center for research, and not a =
graduate=20
school granting degrees; the latter objective is too grandiose, too =
impractical,=20
and would not even furnish the "respectable license" which is the major =
purpose=20
of the student obtaining the PhD degree. No, a research institute with a =
staff=20
of libertarian scholars would be simpler, cheaper, and far more suitable =
and=20
effective. I should think that the institute could function somewhat =
like the=20
Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton: comprising a permanent staff, =
and=20
then also nourished by a temporary staff of likely prospects who would =
be=20
fellows for a year period, perhaps on a postdoctoral level, although =
there would=20
be no reason why promising predoctoral students should not have =
fellowships as=20
well.
Third, it is most important that a scholarly journal be published by =
this=20
institute on a regular basis. Again, it is important that the editorial =
staff be=20
selected carefully, but this will be the same point as selecting the =
institute=20
staff itself. I envision the best type of journal as being =
interdisciplinary,=20
covering all libertarian-individualist disciplines: economics, history,=20
government, philosophy, even science if need be. Such interdisciplinary =
work=20
would be fruitful in the highest degree, for in America today =
intellectual and=20
scholarly work is so narrowly specialized that no one is familiar with =
the other=20
man's field. A scholarly journal could function, in short, as a sort of=20
permanent interdisciplinary symposium such as the Volker Fund has been=20
fruitfully sponsoring in recent years.
While interdisciplinary there is also no need for such a journal to =
function=20
on an ultratechnical level, such as happens to many of the articles in =
the=20
Journal of the History of Ideas, or the American Economic =
Review.=20
Much of this sort of thing is jargon which regards rather than promotes =
advance,=20
anyway. The level I am thinking of is something like the Review of=20
Politics, which Notre Dame publishes, or Science and Society, =
the=20
Marxist-oriented theoretical quarterly. The individualist-libertarian =
philosophy=20
would give a unique framework to the selection of articles which =
characterizes,=20
in reverse, the latter journal.
So enthusiastic am I about such an undertaking that I would be =
willing to=20
devote as much time as would be needed, full time if necessary, in =
working for=20
such an institute. I can think of no more important project, no project =
which=20
could, like this one, be of such potential significance in the history =
of human=20
affairs.
Cordially,
Murray
Murray N. Rothbard (1926=E2=80=931995) was dean of the Austrian =
School. He was an=20
economist, economic historian, and libertarian political philosopher. =
See Murray=20
N. Rothbard's article =
archives.
This article was written as a letter, dated July 16, 1961, from =
Murray=20
Rothbard to Dr. F.A. "Baldy" Harper of William Volker Fund. To see a =
scan of the=20
original letter, click the PDF icon here.![3D"Download](3D"http://images.mises.org/icons/pdf.png")
Comment=20
on the blog.
You can subscribe to future articles by Murray N. Rothbard via this =
RSS=20
feed.
![3DQuantcast=20](3D"http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-0doBZ-DZtouuw.gif")