The Ethics Of Liberty - Knowledge, True And False
The Ethics Of Liberty by Murray Rothbard Rothbard continues to analyze individual rights as property rights in order to explain what rights truly exist. In this chapter he applies that framework to knowledge. This isn't as straightforward as dealing with things that are basic physical property because even though knowledge, thoughts, lies, and slander are not physical things, they can still have physical consequences. He starts by analyzing the situation when someone lies about another person. Does Smith have the right to lie about Jones? Looking strictly at property gives a clear answer. Smith owns his own mind, his mouth, and a smartphone. Therefore he has the right to use his own property to lie. He can speak, send out a letter, announce over a radio station he owns, etc. Smith has done something immoral but his action should not illegal. In general, it is legal to lie in our day and time, so Rothbard isn't saying anything controversial here. However, he applies