Murray N. Rothbard vs. the Philosophers - Ludwig von Mises Institute

LAW AND NATURE IN THE WORK OF MURRAY N. ROTHBARD 21
this conception. The common good means that group of
institutions allowing citizens within the polis to enjoy the
necessary conditions for the good life or, rather, to live as
human nature requires. 32 For Rothbard, on the other hand,
the concept of the justice of private property makes any kind
of taxation—and therefore the state—unacceptable.
There are also profound differences with Passerin d’Entrèves,
whom Rothbard quotes in support to the theory of
the continuity between natural law and natural rights. He
obviously does not agree with him regarding the conception
of the state. The question of the relationship between
Veatch and libertarianism merits further examination. In
fact, as regards the idea of the common good not as an end
in itself but rather as an instrument or an intermediate
objective, Veatch declares his own intellectual debt to Douglas
Den Uyl and Douglas Rasmussen. What is more, in
Human Rights: Fact or Fancy? besides thanking the libertarians,
he recognizes the stimulus and support he received
from Den Uyl, Rasmussen, and Rothbard. 33
Although he says he is not a libertarian, Veatch clearly
appreciates the support of the libertarians for individual
rights and “their determination to find a proper philosophical
justification for such rights.” 34 However, when Veatch goes
on to consider the libertarian basis for individual rights, he
seems to examine only one particular version of libertarian
ethics, defined as ethical or rational egoism. According to
rational egoism, the consequences of a lack of respect for
agreed rights and obligations is so serious that everyone
should consider it in his own personal interest to conform to
the rules guaranteeing the respect of individual rights.
Veatch writes, “rational individualism . . . is often associated
with present-day libertarianism.” 35 While, on the one hand,
32 Veatch, Human Rights, p. 122.
33Ibid., p. ix.
34Ibid. 35Ibid., p. 39.