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Contributors
Gary M. Galles - Contributor
Mr. Galles
is a professor of economics at Pepperdine University. [go
to Galles index]
 Sovereignty
and Liberty
Gustave de Molinari - peace and freedom...
[Gary M. Galles] 3/30/05
Americans
pay ritual obeisance to liberty. But daily, they say “there
ought to be a law” that restricts it. They have only the
dimmest awareness of our founders’ views on this central
issue, and no knowledge of friends of freedom beyond our shores.
That is a pity, because such investigation would yield much insight.
A good example is
Belgian-born philosopher/economist Gustave de Molinari, born
186 years ago this month. As Wikipedia put
it, “Throughout his life…Molinari defended peace,
free trade, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and liberty
in all its forms.” His touchstones were private property
and unrestricted markets—i.e., liberty—made possible
by government limited to securing life, liberty and property.
A few examples cannot
do justice to Molinari’s half-century
defense of liberty, based on each person’s ownership of
himself. But it is worth reflecting on his vision of a world
where government sovereignty, enforced via coercion, was replaced
with individual sovereignty.
“Society is heavily taxed in the increased costs which follow
government appropriation of products and services naturally
belonging to the sphere of private enterprise.”
“…the [enlarged] functions of the State…is
the real explanation of the grossly inadequate performance
of their first duty--protection of life and property of the
individual.”
“The sovereign power of governments over the life and
property of the individual is, in fact, the sole fount and spring
of militaryism, policy, and protection…the abolishment
of that ‘state’ is the present, most urgent, need
of society.”
“Government has abused its unlimited power over individual
life and property…”
“It may be disputed whether this infinitesimal share in
the sovereign power [voting] is sufficient guarantee of individual
rights…”
“However seriously he might be declared sovereign master
of himself, his goods and life, the individual was still controlled
by a power invested with rights which took precedence of his
own…The sole possible remedy—to curtail this subjection
with its priority of claims over those of the sovereignty of
the individual...“
“Government
must confine itself to the naturally collective functions
of providing external and internal security.”
“What is the interest of the individual? It is to remain
the absolute proprietor of his person and property and to retain
the power to dispose of them at will...It is, in a word, to possess ‘individual
sovereignty’ in the fullest…Each individual sovereignty
has its natural frontiers within which it may operate and outside
of which it may not pass without violating other sovereignties.
These natural limits must be recognized and guaranteed…such
is the purpose of ‘government.’”
“Sovereignty rests in the property of the individual over
his person and goods and in the liberty of disposing of them…”
“The individual appropriates and possesses himself… This
is liberty. Property and liberty are the two aspects or two
constituents of sovereignty.”
“…
a careful examination of the facts will decide the problem of
government more and more in favor of liberty…”
“…the ills [ascribed] to liberty--or, to use an
absolutely equivalent expression, to free competition--do not
originate in liberty, but in monopoly and restriction…a
society truly free--a society relieved from all restriction,
from all barriers, unique as will be such a society in all the
course of history--will be exempt from most of the ills, as we
suffer them today…the organization of such a society
will be the most just, the best, and the most favorable to
the production
and distribution of wealth, that is attainable by mortal man.”
“The true
remedy for most evils is none other than liberty, unlimited
and complete liberty, liberty in every field of
human endeavor.”
Gustave de Molinari learned of the destruction that goes with
coercion from France’s 1848 Revolution. He saw that a
far better alternative was a vast expansion of liberty, and
an accompanying explosion of human potential and the human
spirit. That is something our age, as much as any other, needs
to be inspired toward, as well. tOR
copyright
2005 Gary M. Galles
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