Facets of Liberty is a collection of historical articles by well-known liberty activists and theorists from the early days of the libertarian, voluntaryist, classical liberal and individual anarchist movements, which first emerged during the turbulent 1960s. These articles lay a foundation to understand the early works of a diverse group of students and scholars who were attempting to rediscover and redefine the early ideals of the original liberalism kindled by John Locke, revolutionary liberals, radical individualists and many of the American Founders.
Many of the concepts expressed in Facets of Liberty take a strong anti-political, anti-war, anti-establishment and pro-market flare, where, as L.K. Samuels has written, the most invaluable lesson learned about government is that “the first casualty of politics is the truth.” In this political world, which has become increasingly reactionary and authoritarian, a truly revolutionary movement should not revise but revoke. And the target of revocation should be politics itself. “Politics,” as Karl Hess stated in 1969, “does devour men” where “some men have exercised the power to live off the output of other men.” In essence, the material in Facets of Liberty constitutes a well-argued rebellion against politics itself and the collectivistic establishment that created it.
