The Bleeding Heart Libertarian

These are troubling times for anyone who cares about individual liberty. Between populist authoritarianism on the right, and socialist authoritarianism on the left, there doesn’t seem to be much place left for the liberal ideals individual liberty, free markets, and limited government.

This is a Substack for people who think those ideas are worth preserving.

I’m a philosopher who has been exploring the ideas of liberty for the last several decades. In the 2010s I started and ran the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog. More recently, I’ve co-written several books on these ideas, including The Individualists, a history of libertarian thought from the 19th century to the present day, and Universal Basic Income: What Everyone Needs to Know, a detailed look at a policy idea that has captured the imagination of thinkers on both the socialist left and the neoliberal right.

I believe in free markets against central planning; limited government against the expansionist state; liberalism against fascism; cosmopolitanism against nationalism; humane and effective concern for the poor against both callous indifference and counterproductive virtue-signaling.

My writings here will explore these ideas through a mix of intellectual history, public policy analysis, book reviews, and dialogue with fellow-travelers and antagonists alike. If that sounds good to you, I hope you’ll subscribe. All of the content is free to read. Click the button below to sign up for the mailing list, and check out the website for a mix of long-form notes and shorter notes.