☆ Brian Holtz recommends diverse geolibertarian reads

SCC Libertarian Party Campaigns Committee chair Brian Holtz unpacks an array of impactful (geo)libertarian writings, which include Wes Benedict’s Introduction to the Libertarian Party. The latest in Opp Now’s favorite political book perspective series, in which contributors analyze texts they’ve found accessible, informative, and enriching. An Opp Now exclusive.

If I were admitting which writers have most influenced me, I would say: Milton Friedman made me a libertarian with Free To Choose, and Fred Foldvary made me a geolibertarian with his online essays.

If I were listing which writers have most broadened my libertarian intellectual horizons, I would say: Bryan Caplan, David Friedman, Robin Hanson, Scott Alexander, and Richard Posner. The first two are more radical than I am, but I find them more persuasive and less dogmatic than, say, Rothbard. The latter three all have serious qualms about libertarianism — without realizing that those qualms are addressed by geolibertarianism.

But if I could get people curious about libertarianism to read just one book, the answer is easy. Wes Benedict was the Libertarian Party's executive director, and in 2013, he wrote a 120-page instant classic called Introduction to the Libertarian Party. It's a brilliantly succinct yet comprehensive overview of the philosophy and politics of libertarianism. It's $10 on Amazon, and I will put my money where my mouth is: For your first ten readers who send their address to brian@holtz.org, I will ship them a free copy.

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