the particular social ideal, and the objective conditions are a perceived crisis breakdown of the existing system. The revolution in any modern society has been utilized by an existing cadre of ideologists of the alternative system and precipitated by a breakdown of the system itself. Finally, Rothbard argues that there are good reasons for libertarians to be optimistic in both the short and long term. In the long run, Rothbard believes that the triumph of a free-market economy and an end to statism is inevitable because a "modern industrial economy requires a vast network of free-market exchanges and a division of labor, a network that can only flourish under freedom." In the short term, Rothbard says that "the various forms of statism imposed on the Western world during the first half of the twentieth century are now in process of imminent breakdown." "Surprisingly enough, the systemic breakdown of statism in the United States can be given a virtually precise date: the years 1973–74. The breakdown has been particularly glaring in the economic sphere." Reception Reception of the book has been positive in libertarian circles. Many praise the book for its incisive analysis of natural law and its practical applications. Libertarian commentator Sheldon Richman says: "The Ethics of Liberty is a great book that deserves the attention of anyone interested in the good society and human flourishing." The economist Hans-Hermann Hoppe, in his Introduction to the work, described The Ethics of Liberty as Murray Rothbard's second magnum opus, the other being Man, Economy, and State (1962). The philosopher Matt Zwolinski criticized the book, writing that Rothbard's discussion of self-ownership in chapter six "rests on a fundamental confusion between descriptive and normative claims." Release history New York University Press. New York, 2003. Paperback. . New York University Press. New York, 1998. Hardcover. . With a new introduction by Hans-Herman Hoppe. Audiobook / full text available. Humanities Press. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: 1982. Hardcover. . References External links Full text at the Mises Institute Full audiobook at the Mises Institute 1982 non-fiction books Books about capitalism Books by Murray Rothbard English-language books Ethics books Libertarianism in the United States New York University Press books Political manifestos Political philosophy literature