In Honor of Walter Block
In Honor of Walter Block

Author(s): David Gordon
Subject(s): Economy, Political Philosophy, Political Theory, Economic policy
Published by: Addleton Academic Publishers
Keywords: Walter Block; Robert Nozick; Austrian economics; Libertarian Scholars Conference;
Summary/Abstract: One of my earliest memories of Walter Block is of hearing him speak at the Libertarian Scholars Conference, held at the Biltmore Hotel in Manhattan in 1979. Walter gave a characteristically incisive and provocative paper defending private ownership as a means of reducing crime. The essence of his argument was a powerful example. The crime rate was much less in privately owned malls than in public streets. A simple observation, perhaps: but it hadn’t been deployed in this context before. At least I hadn’t heard it before. The point so much struck in my mind that I told the great moral philosopher Philippa Foot about it. In the nearly 45 years since that occasion, I have continued to be impressed by Walter’s ability to come up with imaginative and provocative arguments and examples in defense of “plumb line” libertarianism.

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