Burning Down the House

How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed

By: Andrew Koppelman

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

A lively history of American libertarianism and its decay into dangerous fantasy.

In 2010 in South Fulton, Tennessee, each household paid the local fire department a yearly fee of $75.00. That year, Gene Cranick’s house accidentally caught fire. But the fire department refused to come because Cranick had forgotten to pay his yearly fee, leaving his home in ashes. Observers across the political spectrum agreed―some with horror and some with enthusiasm―that this revealed the true face of libertarianism. But libertarianism did not always require callous indifference to the misfortunes of others.

Modern libertarianism began with Friedrich Hayek’s admirable corrective to the Depression-era vogue for central economic planning. It resisted oppressive state power. It showed how capitalism could improve life for everyone. Yet today, it’s a toxic blend of anarchism, disdain for the weak, and rationalization for environmental catastrophe. Libertarians today accept new, radical arguments―which crumble under scrutiny―that justify dishonest business practices and COVID deniers who refuse to wear masks in the name of “freedom.”

Andrew Koppelman’s book traces libertarianism’s evolution from Hayek’s moderate pro-market ideas to the romantic fabulism of Murray Rothbard, Robert Nozick, and Ayn Rand, and Charles Koch’s promotion of climate change denial. Burning Down the House is the definitive history of an ideological movement that has reshaped American politics.

©2022 Andrew Koppelman (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Every US citizen should read or listen to this

Very informative book on libratarian ideology and how it is twisted to guide our political parties.

thank you it's what I needed

When I heard from this author during an appearance on an independents news show, I immediately looked up his book in the hopes it would help need with a problem I've been having. I have had an increasing gulf with a family friend over political differences in the last decade or so. I had grown up in a loosely conservative household and always saw this friend as less conservative but as I grew up and he grew old I shifted left and was shocked to find how far right of me his ideas seemed in recent years. I now understand that he's Libertarian and I feel this book has given me a better understanding of how our differences have become so pronounced and what might be a few ideas we might share. If nothing else, I at least know some of the finer points and weaknesses of the philosophy to bring to our future discussions. I even found, as the author intended, that there are ideals in the core philosophy of libertarianism that I agree with more than others I had been considering. I think it has sacrificed those ideals in favor of dogmatic adherence to minimal government at any cost and a disdain for the well-being of anyone else.