The Molinari Society is a professional society
affiliated with the Eastern Division of
the American Philosophical Association.
Working in the tradition of Gustave de Molinari (1819-1912),
Benjamin Tucker (1854-1939), and Murray N. Rothbard (1926-1995),
the Molinari Society is a philosophical society dedicated to promoting
critical discussion and innovative research in radical libertarian theory.
Libertarian theory (like Marxist and feminist theory) embodies more
than a set of policy proposals. The libertarian tradition is a wide-ranging,
diverse, and vigorously argued body of work concerning the nature and
foundations of human society, with implications for every aspect of philosophy,
including epistemology, social-science methodology, the philosophy of science,
ethics, the philosophy of history, the foundations of law, and political philosophy.
Through meetings, projects, and publications, the Molinari Society works to increase
the visibility of libertarian theory as a viable touchstone for new understandings of
contemporary issues of social justice and perennial philosophical problems.
Contact: Roderick T. Long
President, Molinari Society | Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
6080 Haley Center | Auburn University | Auburn, Alabama 36830 | U.S.A.
longrob@auburn.edu
Programs
Board of Directors
Membership
About Gustave de Molinari
Other Molinari organisations
Constitution and By-laws
Current program:
CALL FOR PAPERS
The Molinari Society will be hosting its sixth annual symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in New York City, December 27-30, 2009. We hereby invite the submission of papers on the topic of intellectual property (IP).
IP has long been a matter of debate among libertarians. For its defenders, it represents a just protection of innovators’ rights to the products of their labour, as well as a vital economic incentive for creative effort; for its opponents, it is one more state-granted monopoly privilege with elements of protectionism and censorship. The issues raised by IP seem especially urgent in the present age of electronic media, when the ease of copying and disseminating information is at an all-time high; and the legitimacy or otherwise of IP has recently become an especially hot topic of discussion in the libersphere in the wake of the long-anticipated publication of Michele Boldrin and David Levine’s book Against Intellectual Monopoly (as well as the re-release of Stephan Kinsella’s Against Intellectual Property in book form).
Those submitting papers should be prepared, if selected, to present their papers at the December meeting.
Send submissions to Roderick T. Long at:
BerserkRL@yahoo.com
Deadline for receiving submissions: 5 May 2009
Notification of acceptance / rejection: 15 May 2009
Past Programs
2008:
The Molinari Society will be holding its fifth annual Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the
American Philosophical Association
in Philadelphia, December 27-30, 2008. Here’s the latest schedule info:
GIX-3. Monday, 29 December 2008, 1:30-4:30 p.m.As part of the APA’s new policy to prevent free riders, they’re not telling us the name of the room until we get to the registration desk. As part of our policy of combating evil we will of course broadcast the name of the room far and wide as soon as we learn it.
Molinari Society symposium: Authors Meet Critics:
Crispin Sartwell’s Against the State: An Introduction to Anarchist Political Theory and
Roderick T. Long and Tibor R. Machan, eds., Anarchism/Minarchism: Is a Government Part of a Free Country?
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street, Room TBA
Chair: Carrie-Ann Biondi (Marymount Manhattan College)
Critics:
Nicole Hassoun (Carnegie Mellon University) [Commentary online]
Jennifer McKitrick (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) [Commentary online]
Christopher Morris (University of Maryland) [Commentary online]
Authors:
John Hasnas (Georgetown University)
Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute) [Response to Narveson and Morris online]
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University) [Response to Hassoun online] [Responses to McKitrick and Morris online]
Jan Narveson (University of Waterloo-Canada) [Response to Hassoun online] [Response to Sartwell online]
Crispin Sartwell (Dickinson College)
William Thomas (Atlas Society) [Response to Hassoun online]
Also check out the schedules (happily not conflicting) of the AAPSS and ARS.GVIII-4. Saturday, 29 December 2007, 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Molinari Society symposium: “Anarchy: It’s Not Just a Good Idea, It’s the Law”
Falkland (Fourth Floor), Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, 700 Aliceanna Street
Session 1, 11:15-12:15:
chair: Jennifer McKitrick (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
speaker: Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute)
title: “A Place for Positive Law: A Contribution to Anarchist Legal Theory”
commentator: John Hasnas (Georgetown University)
Session 2, 12:15-1:15:
chair: Carrie-Ann Biondi (Marymount Manhattan College)
speaker: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
title: “Inside and Outside Spooner’s Natural Law Jurisprudence”
commentator: Geoffrey Allan Plauché (Louisiana State University)
GVIII-4. Friday, 29 December 2006, 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Molinari Society symposium: “Anarchist Perspectives”
Virginia Suite C (Lobby Level), Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road NW
Session 1, 11:15-12:15:
chair: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
speaker: Matthew MacKenzie (Muhlenberg College)
title: “Exploitation: A Dialectical Anarchist Perspective”
commentator: Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)
Session 2, 12:15-1:15:
chair: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
speaker: Geoffrey Allan Plauché (Louisiana State University)
title: “On the Myth of the Founder-Legislator in Political Philosophy”
commentator: Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)
2005:
The Molinari Society will be hosting its second symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in New York City, December 27-30, 2005. The topic is the relation between “thin” libertarianism (i.e., libertarianism understood as a narrowly political doctrine) and “thick” libertarianism (i.e., libertarianism understood as essentially integrated into some broader set of social or cultural values). We were gratified at the high number of excellent proposals generated by our call for abstracts (now closed). Current session information is listed below:
GIII-8. Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m.(Also, check out the AAPSS lineup later that day.)
Molinari Society symposium: “Libertarianism Through Thick and Thin”
Morgan Suite (Second Floor), Hilton New York, 1335 Avenue of the Americas
Session 1, 11:15-12:15:
chair: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
speaker: Jan Narveson (University of Waterloo)
title: “Libertarianism: The Thick and the Thin”
commentator: Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)
Session 2, 12:15-1:15:
chair: Jennifer McKitrick (University of Nebraska - Lincoln)
speaker: Jack Ross (National Labor College)
title: “Labor and Liberty: A Lost Ideal and an Unlikely New Alliance”
commentator: Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)
2004:
The Molinari Society’s first sponsored event will be a panel on “Libertarianism and Feminism” at the Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, December 27-30, 2004 in Boston (home of Samuel Adams and Benjamin Tucker!).
The session information is as follows:
Group Session IV-3: Tuesday, 28 December 2004, 2:00-5:00 p.m.In addition, our own John Hasnas will be speaking earlier the same day, on “Hayek’s Confusion, or Customary Misconceptions of Common Law and Common Misconceptions of Customary Law,” at an AAPSS session from 9:00-11:00 in the Maine Room. So on December 28th you can get libertarianism all day, with a three-hour lunch break in the middle!
Molinari Society Symposium: Libertarianism and Feminism
Brandeis Room (Third Floor), Marriott Copley Place, Boston
Chair: Aeon J. Skoble (Bridgewater State College)
Speakers:2:00-3:00: Jennifer McKitrick (University of Nebraska – Lincoln), “Liberty, Gender, and the Family”The speakers will also serve as commentators on one another’s papers.
3:00-4:00: Elizabeth Brake (University of Calgary), “Free Love, Marriage, and Individual Sovereignty: From Stephen Pearl Andrews to Laura Kipnis”
4:00-5:00: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University) and Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute), “Libertarian Feminism: Can This Marriage Be Saved?”
| Roderick T. Long (President) |
| Jennifer L. McKitrick (Secretary-Treasurer) |
| John Hasnas |
| Charles W. Johnson |
Membership
Information available soon.
Gustave de Molinari (1819-1912) was a Belgian economist and essayist. A major figure in French liberal circles of his day, Molinari authored dozens of pioneering works in radical libertarian social theory.
Working in the tradition of “industrial radicalism,” Molinari was the first thinker to describe, in 1849, how market institutions could
supply all legitimate legal and protective services, thus entirely supplanting
the institution of monopoly government.
For works by and about Molinari
and his legacy, visit the online library of the Molinari Institute.
Keeping track of all the Molinari organisations
To our knowledge there are currently three organisations named after and working in the tradition of Gustave de Molinari. They are:
The Molinari Society.
Founded on 18 November 2003, the Molinari Society is a professional society affiliated with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association.
The Molinari Society is the organisation whose webpage you are currently viewing.
The Molinari Institute.
Founded on 11 September 2002, the Molinari Institute is an independent think tank likewise devoted to work in the tradition of Molinari. While it was founded by the same people as the Molinari Society, it is a distinct organisation – though the Molinari Society and the Molinari Institute are likely to co-sponsor projects in the future.
The Institut Économique Molinari, or IEM.
Founded on 1 July 2003 (originally as the Institut Molinari), the IEM is an independent think tank located in Brussels, in Molinari’s native Belgium.
There are no official connections between the IEM and either the Molinari Institute or the Molinari Society, though all three organisations share a commitment to Molinari’s legacy and wish one another success.
Not to be confused with any of these organisations is the Italian espresso company Caffé Molinari, which has nothing to do with Gustave de Molinari or libertarianism, but which in its own way is also a force for good in the universe.
Constitution and By-laws
CONSTITUTION OF THE MOLINARI SOCIETY
[as of 18 November 2003]
Article I. Purpose: The purpose of the Molinari Society is to promote
work in and appreciation of the libertarian tradition as not merely a set
of policy proposals but rather, like Marxism or feminism, a wide-ranging
and diverse body of social theory with implications for every aspect of
philosophy, ranging from epistemology and philosophy of social science to
value theory, class analysis, and the foundations of law. The Society
seeks to advance this purpose primarily through the sponsorship of
professional papers and symposia.
Article II. Officers: The administration of the Molinari Society shall
be in the hands of a Board of Directors, including a President and a
Secretary-Treasurer, to be selected as described in the By-laws.
Article III. Membership: Any person sympathetic to the Society’s
purposes is eligible for membership, subject to approval by the Board of
Directors.
Article IV. Meetings: Meetings of the Society, to be scheduled by the
Board of Directors, shall be held at least biannually; the time, place,
and agenda of any such meeting shall be announced to the membership at
least a month in advance. Any member shall be eligible to vote at such a
meeting, whether in person, by proxy, or by absentee ballot. Any measure
proposed to the Board by at least two members of the Society at least a
month in advance shall be included in the agenda of the next scheduled
meeting.
Article V. Revisions: Revisions to this Constitution shall be made by a
majority vote of the membership at a meeting to be held as described in
Article IV above.
BY-LAWS OF THE MOLINARI SOCIETY
Article I. Officers: Officers shall be chosen by majority vote of the
membership at a meeting to be held as described in Article IV of the
Constitution. Terms of office for all Officers shall be for four years,
renewable.
Article II. Duties of the President: The President shall preside at
meetings and conduct the ordinary business of the Society.
Article III. Duties of the Secretary-Treasurer: The Secretary-Treasurer
shall maintain the membership lists and records of Society business, and
maintain and disburse Society funds as directed by the Board of Directors.
Article IV. Dues: The annual dues of members, and any other conditions
of membership, shall be fixed by a majority vote of the Board of
Directors; but any conditions of membership must be consistent with the
Society’s Statement of Purpose (Article I of the Constitution).
Article V. Revisions: Revisions to these By-laws shall be made by a
majority vote of the membership at a meeting to be held as described in
Article IV of the Constitution.
Contact: Roderick T. Long
