Testimonials by former libertarians and objectivists.

Part of the "Critiques of Libertarianism" site.
http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html

Last updated 10/25/07.

Let's see what we can learn from some of the many who have left libertarianism. (I invite others to contribute their histories as well.)

I include Nathaniel Branden here, even though he is probably still an Objectivist, because of his discussion of the cult-like atmosphere of early Objectivism.

Links

ex-Libertarian email list.: Brent Allison has created this list for discussions of the ideological dogma that former libertarians have left behind. There are a lot of recovering libertarians out there: now they need to find this lis.
John Hodges: Why I'm a former Objectivist and former Libertarian.
Why I Am NOT a Libertarian: Rev. Jimi Freidenker's plain, straightforward reasons for rejecting his former libertarian/objectivist beliefs.
The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand: A Personal Statement.: Nathaniel Branden details some errors Ayn Rand was prone to. One of several self-aggrandizing discussions of her feet of clay, written conveniently after her death.
Debating with Jehovah's Witnesses: Libertarians are not usually as dogmatic as JW's, but the parallels are fairly strong (with a few exceptions.) The parallels with Objectivists are even stronger.
How a Libertarian Capitalist Became a Libertarian Socialist.: Observation of real-world corporate behavior helped.
Another experience with Objectivism and Libertarian ideas.: Michael Swierczek relates his discovery and escape from Objectivism.
Jonathan R. Armstrong's ex-libertarian introduction.: "Suddenly, I realized that perhaps there might be a little more to it all than a cartoonish, one-dimensional view of a repressive 'government' that spawns evils that are divorced from any other sort of empirical reality."
Charlie Reese: Why I am not a libertarian: "Not only is no man an island, but no man is self-made... capitalism, unless moderated by Christian virtue or government, is just as brutal and cruel as communism."
Libertarian to Liberal: Mike Bast presents a skeptic's repudiation of libertarianism.
Election 2004, 14: Abandoning Libertarianism: Bruce Baugh's sad evaluation of the worth of libertarianism and libertarians.
Libertarianism. I've been conned! Part 1 Libertarianism. I've been conned! Part 2: Marc Geddes describes his conversion from libertarianism to his friends at the World Transhumanist Association. Summary: poor models of human nature make for poor politics and economics.

Print References

The links here are to Amazon.com, through their associates program, primarily because of the review information. Books without links are generally out of print, and can often be easily found at AddAll Used and Out Of Print Search. Good sites for bargain shopping for sometimes expensive new books are Online Bookstore Price Comparison and AddAll Book Search and Price Comparison. Both of those list applicable coupons. Another is BookFinder.com.

Albert Ellis "Is Objectivism A Religion?": L. Stuart, 1968.

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Copyright 2007 by Mike Huben ( mhuben@world.std.com ).
This document may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes if it is reproduced in its textual entirety, with this notice intact.