Charles Murray is the author of two of the most widely debated and influential social policy books in recent decades, Losing Ground: American Society Policy 1950-1980 and, with the late Richard J. Herrnstein, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life. The Bradley Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Murray lives with his family near Washington, D.C.
For Murray, author of the controversial tome The Bell Curve (Free Pr., 1994), a libertarian supports the reduction of government. Government should be smaller, less intrusive, and less expensive. One of the interesting things about this philosophy is that few Americans would dispute the worth of these goals. No one who fills out an IRS form needs to be convinced of the clumsiness of federal bureaucracy. But taxpayers split with the ideal when it comes to deciding what government functions to eliminate. In addition, many do not believe the libertarian agenda to be practical, or even possible, at this point in history. Murray addresses these objections and sets his political ideas in a historical and sociological framework. He traces his general principles to the founding fathers, particularly Jefferson, who believed that limited government was intimately connected to the success of individual liberty. Murray adds sociological and psychological support for the reevaluation of personal freedom as a basic human need. Though the arguments are ultimately unconvincing, they have an undeniable appeal and deserve to be heard. What It Means To Be a Libertarian is a sober and intelligent work, well read by the author and judiciously abridged. Highly recommended for most public and academic libraries.‘John Owen, Advanced Micro Devices Technical Lib., Sunnyvale, Cal.
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