Title: A near miss.
Review: Rothbard argues like a great trial lawyer. I was reminded of Bugliosi's book on the OJ trial more than any of the philosophical books on ethics I have read. I much prefer the clarity of Rothbard's writing to the rambling and gratuitous use of logical argot in Nozick. At the same time, I think Libertarianism needs a better approach to ethics to counteract the work of scholars like Rawls, who,following Kant's Metaphysics Of Morals, argues pursuasively for a more collectivist view. Fortunately or unfortunately, I think Ayn Rand was closer to the the mark with her ethics as expressed in Atlas Shrugged and Capitalism the Unknown Ideal. It is sad that more critical approaches to objectivist ethics have not been attempted by non-devotees. Still, the discussion of property rights as fundamental is priceless, and should be required reading for congressional staffers.
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