The Molinari Society is a professional society
affiliated with the Eastern and Pacific Divisions of
the American Philosophical Association.



Working in the tradition of Gustave de Molinari (1819-1912), Thomas Hodgskin (1787-1869),
Lysander Spooner (1808-1887), Benjamin Tucker (1854-1939), Voltairine de Cleyre (1866-1912),
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 | Professor, Department of Philosophy
6080 Haley Center | Auburn University | Auburn, Alabama 36830 | U.S.A.
longrob@auburn.edu


Programs       Board of Directors

About Gustave de Molinari       Other Molinari organisations      Constitution and By-laws


Programs

January 2025 (upcoming)
April 2025 (upcoming)
Past programs





Current Programs




The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Pacific Symposium in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in San Francisco, 16-20 April 2025.

Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Author Meets Critics: Gary Chartier, Christianity and the Nation-State: A Study in Political Theology.

G1H. Wednesday, 16 April 2025, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Westin St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell St. [unless a labour dispute forces a change of venue], San Francisco CA  94102, room TBA.
chair:
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

author:
     Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)

critics:
     David VanDrunen (Westminster Seminary California)
     Mary Doak (University of San Diego)
     Irfan Khawaja (Independent Scholar)












The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Eastern Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in New York City, 8-11 January 2025.

Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: False Alternatives in the Politics of Knowledge

G3A. Wednesday, 8 December, 4:00-5:50 p.m., Sheraton Times Square, 811 7th Ave. & W. 53rd St., New York NY  10019, Park 3 (5th floor).
chair:
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

speakers:
     Irfan Khawaja (Independent Scholar), “Pedagogy Under Occupation: Between Indoctrination and False Neutrality”
     Cory Massimino (Center for a Stateless Society), “Between Convergence and Conspiracy”

commentator:
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)


Frequent Molinari panelist Jason Lee Byas will also be presenting elsewhere on the program on “The Vocabulary of Society: Feasibility and Fit in Expressive Arguments” (10G, Friday 10 December, 9:00-10:50 a.m., Madison 5).



Past Programs


The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Eastern Symposium in conjunction with the
Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in New York City, 15-18 January 2024. Our symposium comprises two back-to-back sessions on Tuesday afternoon. Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society, Session 1: Nation-States, Nationalism, and Oppression

G7C. Tuesday, 16 January 2024, 2:00-3:50 p.m., Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Ave. & 53rd St., New York NY  10019, Madison 4 (5th floor).

chair:
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

presenters:
      Irfan Khawaja (Independent Scholar), “Teaching Machiavelli in Palestine”
      Akiva Malamet (Queen’s University, Canada), “Free Migration as Self-Determination: Open Borders and Project Pursuit”
      Zachary Woodman (Center for a Stateless Society), “Against the Nationalism of the Oppressed”

commentator:
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
Molinari Society, Session 2: Topics in Radical Liberalism

G8C. Tuesday, 16 January 2024, 4:00-5:50 p.m., Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Ave. & 53rd St., New York NY  10019, Madison 4 (5th floor).

chair:
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

presenters:
      Jason Lee Byas (University of Michigan), “The Problem of Pervasive Historic Injustice”
      Nathan P. Goodman (Mercatus Center, George Mason University), “A Radical Liberal Approach to LGBTQ Emancipation”
      Cory Massimino (Center for a Stateless Society), “Ayn Rand’s Novel Contribution: Aristotelian Liberalism”

commentator:
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)


See the full schedule here.

Note: most of the conference rooms are accessed by the elevators and escalators toward the back of the lobby. But the 5th floor conference rooms are instead accessed by the guest room elevators at the front of the lobby.





The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Pacific Symposium in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in San Francisco, 5-8 April 2023.

We have two sessions this year. Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium, Session 1: Author Meets Critics: Gary Chartier, Understanding Friendship: On the Moral, Political, and Spiritual Meaning of Love.

G4D. Thursday, 6 April 2023, 6:00-8:00pm, Westin St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell St., San Francisco CA 94102, Elizabethan C (2nd floor).
chair:
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

author:
     Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)

critics:
     Neera Badhwar (University of Oklahoma and George Mason University)
     Michael Pakaluk [in absentia] (The Catholic University of America)
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)


Molinari Society symposium, Session 2: Author Meets Critics: James Stacey Taylor, Markets With Limits: How the Commodification of Academia Derails Debate.

G7E. Friday, 7 April 2023, 7:00-9:00pm, Westin St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell St., San Francisco CA 94102, Olympic (2nd floor).
chair:
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

author:
     James Stacey Taylor (The College of New Jersey)

critics:
     Amy White (Ohio University)
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
     [Glen Whitman (CSU Northridge), previously announced as an additional commentator, had to withdraw.]


Update: The exchange on Taylor’s book has since been published in the International Journal of Applied Philosophy 37.2 (Fall 2023).






The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Eastern Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association via Zoom (7-9 and 14-16 January 2021). Only those who cough up the hefty registration fee will be able to access the session, so no chance of free-riding this time around (the APA’s decision, definitely not ours; the APA is both pragmatically and morally confused about the costs and benefits of allowing free-riding at its conferences, but that’s another story). But there’s a substantial student discount, verb. sap. Anyway, here’s the schedule info:


Molinari Society symposium: Radical Rights Theory

[Two timeslots back to back; we haven’t yet sorted the order of speakers or who’ll be in which timeslot – it depends on some logistical details that remain to be worked out (check back here for updates).]

12K. Thursday, 14 January 2021, 9:00-10:50 a.m. E
13K. Thursday, 14 January 2021, 11:00 a.m.-12:50 p.m. E


chair:
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

presenters:
      Jesse Spafford (The Graduate Center, CUNY), “When ‘Enough and as Good’ Is Not Good Enough
      Daniel Layman (Davidson College), “Keeping the Proviso in Its Place
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University), “How to Have Your No-Proviso Lockeanism and Eat It Too
      Jason Lee Byas (University of Michigan), “Alienation, Forfeiture, and Two Concepts of Natural Rights
      Cory Massimino (Center for a Stateless Society), “Two Cheers for Rothbardianism


See the full schedule here.

UPDATE: The order of presentation for tomorrow's panel will be:

12K, 9:00-10:50am: Jason & Cory.

13K, 11am-12:50pm: Dan, Jesse, and Roderick.




The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Eastern Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Philadelphia, 8-11 January 2020. Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: New Work in Libertarian and Anarchist Thought


G5E. Thursday, 9 January 2020, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, Philadelphia 201 Hotel, 201 N. 17th St., Philadelphia PA  19103, room TBA.

chair:
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

presenters:
      Zachary Woodman (Western Michigan University), “The Implications of Philosophical Anarchism for National Identity
      Jason Lee Byas (University of Michigan), “What Is Violence?
      William Nava (New York University), “The Causal Case Against Contributing to Public Goods
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University), “Ayn Rand’s ‘New’ (Posthumous) Critique of Anarchism: A Counter-Critique


Addendum: According to the printed program, the Molinari Society’s session at 9:00 tomorrow morning is in Seminar A.

This is a cruel lie.

We are actually in Phillips Boardroom 3.

Okay, no problem, we turn to the map of the hotel that’s included in the program, and – oimoi, there’s no Phillips Boardroom 3 listed.

But I have tracked it down. It’s on the lobby level, at the top of the carpeted ramp at the far right of the lobby as you come in the main entrance.

I figure we may want to start a little bit late tomorrow to accommodate bewildered stragglers.








The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Eastern Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in New York City, 7-10 January 2019. Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: New Work in Libertarian and Anarchist Thought


G5C. Tuesday, 8 January 2019, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Ave. (at W. 53rd St.), New York NY, Central Park 3 (5th floor).

chair:
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

presenters:
      Jason Lee Byas (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), “The Political Is Interpersonal
      Dylan Andrew Delikta (Memorial University of Newfoundland), “Anarchy: Finding Home in the (W)hole
      Alex Braud (Arizona State University), “Putting Limits on Punishments of Last Resort
      Roderick T. Long (Auburn University), “The Anarchist Landscape: Social Anarchism, Individualist Anarchism, and Anarcho-Capitalism from a Left-Wing Market Anarchist Perspective


Regrettably, our session is scheduled opposite a session on Elizabeth Anderson’s book Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives, with comments by Jacob Levy and Jessica Flanigan. This is unfortunate both because many members of our potential audience will probably be lured away by this session, and because we’d like to go to it ourselves. But as good anarchists, we must bear our sufferings like Rakhmetov.






The Molinari Society will be holding its mostly-annual Pacific Symposium in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in San Diego, March 28-April 1, 2018. Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Author Meets Critics: Gary Chartier’s Public Practice, Private Law: An Essay on Love, Marriage, and the State

G9C. Friday, 30 March 2018, 7:00-10:00 p.m. (or so), Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, 910 Broadway Circle, San Diego CA, room TBA

 
chair:
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

critics:
Jennifer Lockhart (Auburn University)
Lori Watson (New Mexico State University)
Roderick T. Long (University of San Diego)

author:
Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)


See also our upcoming session at APEE.






The Molinari Society will be holding its annual Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, 202 East Pratt Street, in Baltimore, January 4-7, 2017. Here’s the current schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Libertarianism and Refugees

GFC. Thursday, 5 January 2017, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon.
presenters:
James P. Sterba (University of Notre Dame), “Libertarianism and the Rights of Refugees
Jan Narveson (University of Waterloo, Ontario), “Accommodating Refugees and Respecting Liberty

commentators:
Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
Unfortunately, Roderick Long won’t be able to participate in person, but his comments will be read out in absentia.






The Molinari Society will be holding its annual Pacific Symposium in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in San Francisco, March 30-April 3, 2016. Here’s the schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Author Meets Critics: Gary Chartier’s Radicalizing Rawls: Global Justice and the Foundations of International Law

G6D. Thursday, 31 March 2016, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (or so), Westin St. Francis 335 Powell St., San Francisco CA, Elizabethan C, 2nd floor.

 
chair:
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

critics:
David Reidy (University of Tennessee)
Zooey Sophia Pook (New Mexico State University)

author:
Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)


See also our upcoming session at APEE.






The Molinari Society will be holding its annual Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association at the Marriott Washington Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road NW, in Washington DC, January 6-9, 2016. Here’s the current schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Libertarianism and Welfare Rights

Wednesday, 6 January 2016, 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m., Washington 5 (Exhibition Level).
chair:
Jennifer McKitrick (University of Nebraska—Lincoln)

presenters:
Jan Narveson (University of Waterloo, Ontario), “Contracting to Liberty, Yes; to the Welfare State? No
James P. Sterba (University of Notre Dame), “A Response to Narveson: Why Liberty Leads to Welfare

commentators:
Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University) [comments here]
The symposium papers will also appear in an upcoming issue of the Molinari Institute’s new journal, the Molinari Review.

In addition, several of the symposium participants have other sessions on the program; see the APA schedule.

A second Molinari Society symposium, on “Police Abuse: Solutions Beyond the State,” originally scheduled for Friday evening, has unfortunately been cancelled (or, inshallah, postponed to next year).




Call for Abstracts [NOW CLOSED]

for the Molinari Society’s next Eastern Symposium, to be held in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division meeting, January 6-9, 2016, in Washington DC. (Note that this meeting is the week after New Year’s, rather than, as in past years, just before New Year’s. This later time is expected to be the new normal for the Eastern APA henceforth.)

Symposium Topic:
Police Abuse: Solutions Beyond the State


Submission Deadline:
18 May 2015

Abuses of power by police officers, especially abuses motivated by racial bias, are at last beginning to receive increased public scrutiny. Anarchists have long regarded police misconduct as a deep-rooted and systemic problem, one requiring radical rather than reformist solutions, but have not always agreed about what a radical solution should look like. Some anarchists have advocated a system of private security firms held in check by market competition; others have looked to volunteer and mutual-aid watch groups responsible to the communities they patrol; still others have rejected both models as insufficiently different from the government police system they’re supposed to replace.

Would/should there be police, or something like police, in an anarchist society? If so, how might they be restrained from abuses? If not, what institutions or practices might secure protection from invasive behaviour instead?

Abstracts should be submitted for the 2016 Eastern Symposium by 18 May, 2015. Submissions from any point of view (anarchist or otherwise) are welcome. Please submit an abstract only if you expect to be able to present the paper in person at the Symposium. (Final papers should be of appropriate scope and length to be presented within 15-30 minutes.) Submitting authors will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their papers by 31 May, 2015.

Submit abstracts as e-mail attachments, in Word .doc or .docx format, PDF, or ODT, to longrob@auburn.edu.

For any questions or information, contact Roderick T. Long at the above email address.



(In other news, the Molinari Symposium originally scheduled for this year’s Pacific APA in Vancouver has been postponed to next year in San Francisco; details to follow in due course.)





The Molinari Society will be holding its Year 11 Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown, 1201 Market Street, in Philadelphia, December 27-30, 2014. Here’s the latest schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Libertarianism and Privilege

GIX-3. Monday, 29 December 2014, 1:30-4:30 p.m., meeting room 402 (4th floor).
chair:
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

presenters:
Billy Christmas (University of Manchester), “Privilege and Libertarianism
Jennifer A. Baker (College of Charleston), “White Privilege and Virtue
Jason Lee Byas (University of Oklahoma), “Supplying the Demand of Liberation: Markets as a Structural Check Against Domination

commentators:
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)





Call for Abstracts [NOW CLOSED]

for the Molinari Society’s Year 11 Symposium to be held in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division meeting, December 27-30, 2014, in Philadelphia.

Symposium Topic:
Libertarianism and Privilege


Submission Deadline:
26 May 2014

In recent years, “privilege” has become the default model for most of the Left’s critical discussion of structural oppression, resistance, and challenges to social justice. Critical discourse today recognizes many forms of structural social privilege, including white privilege, male privilege, and privilege based on heterosexuality, gender identity, and economic or political class. Privilege is said not only to touch on political power but also to have interpersonal and epistemic dimensions – informing social interactions and cultural expressions, and raising concerns about the position of social critics and limitations or distortions of knowledge.

In addition, the relationship between libertarianism and privilege has begun to attract increased interest, both within and beyond libertarian circles. Libertarianism has been described both as essentially an opposition to privilege, and as essentially a rationalization of privilege. Does libertarian theory have the resources to address questions of structural privilege – especially those forms of social privilege that do not appear to derive from state action? Should it address such questions? What unique insights or contributions might it offer to critical discussions of privilege? How might an account of structural social privilege modify or develop libertarian approaches?

Abstracts should be submitted for the 2014 Symposium by 26 May, 2014. Submissions from any point of view are welcome. Please submit an abstract only if you expect to be able to present the paper in person at the Symposium. (Final papers should be of appropriate scope and length to be presented within 15-30 minutes.) Submitting authors will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their papers by 31 May, 2014.

Submit abstracts as e-mail attachments, in Word .doc format, PDF, or ODT, to longrob@auburn.edu.

For any questions or information, contact Roderick T. Long at the above email address. The Molinari Society will be holding its fourth annual Pacific Symposium in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in San Diego, April 16-20, 2014. Here’s the latest schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Author Meets Critics: Eric Roark’s Removing the Commons: A Lockean Left-Libertarian Approach to the Just Use and Appropriation of Natural Resources

Westin Gaslamp Quarter, 910 Broadway Circle, San Diego CA

G2C. Wednesday, 16 April 2014, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (or so), room TBA.

critics:
Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)
David Gordon (Ludwig von Mises Institute)
Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)
Roderick Long (Auburn University)

author:
Eric Roark (Millikin University)

See also our upcoming session(s) at APEE.






The Molinari Society will be holding its Year 10 Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association at the Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, December 27-30, 2013. Here’s the latest schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: Author Meets Critics: Michael Huemer, The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey
700 Aliceanna Street Baltimore MD
GVIII-7. Sunday, 29 December 2013, 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m., Grand Ballroom, Salon X (3rd floor).
chair:
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

critics:
Julie Maybee (Lehman College-CUNY)
Jonathan Mahoney (Kansas State University)
Charles W. Johnson (Molinari Institute)

author:
Michael Huemer (University of Colorado-Boulder)
Roderick will also be chairing a (non-Molinari) session on Consequentialism on Dec. 30th, 9-11 a.m.






The Molinari Society will be holding its third annual Pacific Symposium in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in San Francisco, March 27-31, 2013. Here’s the latest schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium:
Author Meets Critics: Gary Chartier’s Anarchy and Legal Order: Law and Politics for a Stateless Society
Westin St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell St., San Francisco CA

G2E. Wednesday, 27 March 2013, 6:00-9:00 p.m. (or so), Yorkshire room

critics:
Eric Roark (Millikin University)
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
Kevin Vallier (Bowling Green State University) [Kevin is likely to be absent, owing to impending paternity]

author:
Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)

See also our upcoming session(s) at APEE.




The Molinari Society will be holding its Year 9 Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, December 27-30, 2012. Here’s the latest schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: “Explorations in Philosophical Anarchy”
265 Peachtree Center Avenue NE, Atlanta GA
GIV-3. Friday, 28 December 2012, 2:00-5:00 p.m., room L406 (lobby level, past the fitness center; see map).
presenters:
Matthew Quest (Independent Scholar),
      “Between Insurrection and Popular Self-Management: Emma Goldman and the Self-Governing Will”
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University),
      “Transformation or Abolition: Marriage and the Family in the Individualist Anarchist Tradition”

commentators:
Nina Brewer-Davis (Auburn University)
Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute)





Call for Papers [NOW CLOSED]

for the Society’s Symposium to be held in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division meeting December 27-30, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Symposium Topic:
Explorations in Philosophical Anarchy

Submission Deadline:
May 18, 2012

The past two decades have seen a resurgence of interest, both in activist and academic circles, in Anarchist politics and theory, with new and challenging work from several different directions. Renewed academic interest in Anarchism has drawn attention to the importance, vitality and philosophical fruitfulness of key Anarchist arguments and concepts – such as the conflict between authority and autonomy; tensions between collectivism and individualism; critical challenges to hierarchy, centralized power, top-down control and authoritarian conceptions of representation; and the development of concepts of spontaneous social order, decentralized consensus, and the knowledge problems and ideological mythologzing inherent in relations or structures of domination.

Most of this discussion has, naturally enough, taken place within the field of political and moral philosophy. But Anarchist theory (like marxist or feminist theory) embodies more than a policy orientation or a system of moral or political theses. The Anarchist tradition offers a wide-ranging, diverse and vigorously argued literature, concerning the nature and foundations of human society, with implications for every aspect of philosophy, including not only political and moral theory but also aesthetics, social-science methodology, epistemology, and the philosophies of science, religion, history, language and logic. We are looking for papers that address possible connections, approaches, challenges or insights that anarchy and its conceptual environs may suggest for philosophy broadly – or that philosophy may suggest for anarchy – beyond the familiar territory of political and moral theory, especially in such areas as epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of logic, and metaphilosophy or philosophical method. Papers from all analytical and critical standpoints (both with regard to philosophy and with regard to Anarchism) are welcome.

Please submit complete papers of 3,000-6,000 words for consideration for the 2012 Symposium by May 18, 2012. Papers should be of appropriate scope and length to be presented within 15-30 minutes. Submitting authors will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their papers by May 31, 2012.

Submit papers as e-mail attachments, in Word .doc format or PDF, to longrob@auburn.edu or feedback@radgeek.com.

For any questions or information, contact us at the above email addresses.

* * *



Some possible topics include – but are by no means limited to:



Please spread the word to anyone who you think would be interested in the symposium topic!


Upcoming Spring 2012 program:

The Molinari Society will be holding its second annual Pacific Symposium in conjunction with the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in Seattle, April 4-7, 2012. Here’s the latest schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: “Explorations in Philosophical Anarchy”
Westin Seattle, 1900 Fifth Avenue, Seattle WA 98101
G9G. Saturday, 7 April 2012, 7:00-10:00 p.m. (or so), Blakeny room (Westin, 3rd floor)
presenters:
David M. Hart (Liberty Fund),
      “Bastiat’s Distinction Between Legal and Illegal Plunder ”
Kurt Gerry (Independent Scholar),
      “On Political Obligation and the Nature of Law”

commentators:
Daniel Silvermint (University of Arizona)
Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute)
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

See also our upcoming sessions at APEE.




Call for Papers [NOW CLOSED]

for the Society’s Symposium to be held in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association Pacific Division meeting, April 4-7, 2012, Seattle.

Symposium Topic:
Explorations in Philosophical Anarchy (II)

Submission Deadline:
September 30, 2011

The past two decades have seen a resurgence of interest, both in activist and academic circles, in Anarchist politics and theory, with new and challenging work from several different directions. Renewed academic interest in Anarchism has drawn attention to the importance, vitality and philosophical fruitfulness of key Anarchist arguments and concepts – such as the conflict between authority and autonomy; tensions between collectivism and individualism; critical challenges to hierarchy, centralized power, top-down control and authoritarian conceptions of representation; and the development of concepts of spontaneous social order, decentralized consensus, and the knowledge problems and ideological mythologzing inherent in relations or structures of domination.

Most of this discussion has, naturally enough, taken place within the field of political and moral philosophy. But Anarchist theory (like marxist or feminist theory) embodies more than a policy orientation or a system of moral or political theses. The Anarchist tradition offers a wide-ranging, diverse and vigorously argued literature, concerning the nature and foundations of human society, with implications for every aspect of philosophy, including not only political and moral theory but also aesthetics, social-science methodology, epistemology, and the philosophies of science, religion, history, language and logic. We are looking for papers that address possible connections, approaches, challenges or insights that anarchy and its conceptual environs may suggest for philosophy broadly – or that philosophy may suggest for anarchy – beyond the familiar territory of political and moral theory, especially in such areas as epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of logic, and metaphilosophy or philosophical method. Papers from all analytical and critical standpoints (both with regard to philosophy and with regard to Anarchism) are welcome.

Please submit complete papers of 3,000-6,000 words for consideration for the 2012 Symposium by September 30, 2011. Papers should be of appropriate scope and length to be presented within 15-30 minutes. Submitting authors will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their papers by October 10, 2011.

Submit papers as e-mail attachments, in Word .doc format or PDF, to longrob@auburn.edu or feedback@radgeek.com.

For any questions or information, contact us at the above email addresses.

* * *



Some possible topics include – but are by no means limited to:



Please spread the word to anyone who you think would be interested in the symposium topic!

More info here.


Upcoming 2011 program:

The Molinari Society will be holding its eighth annual Symposium (or seventh or ninth, depending on how one counts; let’s just say our Year 8 Symposium) in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the
American Philosophical Association in Mordor, we mean Washington DC, December 27-30, 2011. Here’s the latest schedule info:

Molinari Society symposium: “Explorations in Philosophical Anarchy”
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road NW
GIX-2. Thursday, 29 December 2011, 1:30-4:30 p.m., McKinley Room [sic!], Mezzanine level
chair: Elizabeth Brake (Arizona State University)

presenters:
Kevin Vallier (Brown University / Bowling Green State University),
      “The Eligibility of a Polycentric Constitution”
Eli Dourado (George Mason University),
      “Anarchy and Equilibrium: When Is Statelessness Stable?”

commentators:
Nina Brewer-Davis (Auburn University)
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
Jon Mahoney (Kansas State University)
Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute)

We’ve requested a three-hour session to leave time for all the commentators.

In related news, we’ll be announcing the call for papers for our 2012 Pacific APA session shortly.




Call for Papers [NOW CLOSED]

for the Society’s Symposium to be held in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division meeting December 27-30, 2011, Washington, D.C.

Symposium Topic:
Explorations in Philosophical Anarchy

Submission Deadline:
May 18, 2011

Open City Cafe in Woodley Park The past two decades have seen a resurgence of interest, both in activist and academic circles, in Anarchist politics and theory, with new and challenging work from several different directions. Renewed academic interest in Anarchism has drawn attention to the importance, vitality and philosophical fruitfulness of key Anarchist arguments and concepts – such as the conflict between authority and autonomy; tensions between collectivism and individualism; critical challenges to hierarchy, centralized power, top-down control and authoritarian conceptions of representation; and the development of concepts of spontaneous social order, decentralized consensus, and the knowledge problems and ideological mythologzing inherent in relations or structures of domination.

Most of this discussion has, naturally enough, taken place within the field of political and moral philosophy. But Anarchist theory (like marxist or feminist theory) embodies more than a policy orientation or a system of moral or political theses. The Anarchist tradition offers a wide-ranging, diverse and vigorously argued literature, concerning the nature and foundations of human society, with implications for every aspect of philosophy, including not only political and moral theory but also aesthetics, social-science methodology, epistemology, and the philosophies of science, religion, history, language and logic. We are looking for papers that address possible connections, approaches, challenges or insights that anarchy and its conceptual environs may suggest for philosophy broadly – or that philosophy may suggest for anarchy – beyond the familiar territory of political and moral theory, especially in such areas as epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of logic, and metaphilosophy or philosophical method. Papers from all analytical and critical standpoints (both with regard to philosophy and with regard to Anarchism) are welcome.

Please submit complete papers of 3,000-6,000 words for consideration for the 2011 Symposium by May 18, 2011. Papers should be of appropriate scope and length to be presented within 15-30 minutes. Submitting authors will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their papers by May 31, 2011.

Submit papers as e-mail attachments, in Word .doc format or PDF, to longrob@auburn.edu or feedback@radgeek.com.

For any questions or information, contact us at the above email addresses.

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You can download a PDF of the Call For Papers to print and post on a bulletin board near you.



Some possible topics include – but are by no means limited to:



Please spread the word to anyone who you think would be interested in the symposium topic!




2010-2011:

Our sessions at the Eastern APA in Boston were cancelled owing to inclement weather, but both sessions have been rescued and rescheduled, one at the Austrian Scholars Conference (March 10-12 in Auburn) and one at the Pacific APA (April 20-23 in San Diego). The new details follow:

First, what was originally Session 2:

S10-II. Friday, 11 March 2011, 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Molinari Society Symposium:
Topic: Spontaneous Order
Austrian Scholars Conference, Ludwig von Mises Institute, Auburn AL

     chair: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

     presenters:
     Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute)
           “Women and the Invisible Fist: How Violence Against Women Enforces the Unwritten Law of Patriarchy”
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
           Invisible Hands and Incantations: The Mystification of State Power

     commentators:
     Nina Brewer-Davis (Auburn University)
     Reshef Agam-Segal (Auburn University)
     David Gordon (Mises Institute)

Also at the ASC, Molinari Institute Research Associate (and Alford Prize winner) Gil Guillory will be presenting a paper on “The Structure of Production of Free Market Adjudication” earlier on Friday, and Roderick Long will be chairing a panel on “Socialism, Racism, and Method” on Saturday; for details, see the schedule.

And now for what was originally Session 1:

G8J. Saturday, 23 April 2011, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Molinari Society Symposium:
Author Meets Critics: Gary Chartier’s Economic Justice and Natural Law
American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division Meeting, Hilton Bayfront, San Diego CA, Aqua 300
HOW TO FIND THE ROOM.

     chair: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

     critics:
     Jennifer Baker (College of Charleston)
     Kevin A. Carson (Center for a Stateless Society) [Commentary online: to be read in absentia]
     David Gordon (Ludwig von Mises Institute)
     Douglas Den Uyl (Liberty Fund)
     Douglas B. Rasmussen (St. John’s University)

     author:
     Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)

Our session was added too late to be listed on the online program, but will be in the printed program. (Yes, we thought it’d be the other way around too.) Unfortunately, our session conflicts with the Ayn Rand Society; but on the plus side, Gary Chartier, who would have had to miss the Boston meeting because he’s boycotting air travel, will be able to attend the San Diego meeting (as it’s within driving distance). In any case, April in San Diego is a lot nicer than December in Boston! Roderick Long will also be a commentator on a panel on “Exploitation and the State” (Wednesday, 20 April, 4:00-6:00 p.m.).


The information below is now obsolete; see above.

The Molinari Society will be holding its seventh annual Symposium – this time with two sessions – in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Boston, December 27-30, 2010. Here’s the latest schedule info:

GIV-3. Tuesday, 28 December 2010, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Molinari Society Symposium, SESSION 1
Author Meets Critics: Gary Chartier’s Economic Justice and Natural Law
Location: TBA

     chair: Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)

     critics:
     Jennifer Baker (College of Charleston)
     Kevin A. Carson (Center for a Stateless Society) [Commentary online: to be read in absentia]
     David Gordon (Ludwig von Mises Institute)
     Douglas Den Uyl (Liberty Fund)
     Douglas B. Rasmussen (St. John’s University)

     author:
     Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)

GVII-4. Wednesday, 29 December 2010, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Molinari Society Symposium, SESSION 2:
Topic: Spontaneous Order
Location TBA

     chair: Gary Chartier (La Sierra University)

     presenters:
     Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute)
           “Women and the Invisible Fist: How Violence Against Women Enforces the Unwritten Law of Patriarchy”
     Roderick T. Long (Auburn University)
           Invisible Hands and Incantations: The Mystification of State Power

     commentators:
     Nina Brewer-Davis (Auburn University)
     Reshef Agam-Segal (Auburn University)
As part of the APA’s continuing 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.

This year we have managed to avoid any schedule conflict with the Ayn Rand Society (Dec. 28th, 9:00-11:00) or Jan Narveson’s author-meets-critics session (Dec. 30th, 9:00-12:00) but not, alas, with the American Association for the Philosophic Study of Society (Dec. 29th, 9:00-11:00).


2009:

The Molinari Society will be holding its sixth annual Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in New York City, December 27-30, 2009. Here’s the latest schedule info:

GVIII-5. Tuesday, 29 December 2009, 11:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
Molinari Society Symposium: “Intellectual Property: Is it Legitimate?”
Herald meeting room (7th floor), New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway

chair: Carrie-Ann Biondi (Marymount Manhattan College)

presenters:
Bob Schaefer (independent scholar):
      Response to Kinsella: A Praxeological Look at Intellectual Property Rights
G. Nazan Bedirhanoğlu (SUNY Binghamton):
     History of the Reification of the Intellect

commentators:
Charles Johnson (Molinari Institute)
Roderick T. Long (Auburn University) [Commentary online]
As part of the APA’s continuing 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.

Happily, we have once again avoided any schedule conflict with either the Ayn Rand Society (Dec. 28th, 11:15-1:45) or the American Association for the Philosophic Study of Society (Dec. 29th, 1:30-4:30).


[CALL FOR PAPERS [NOW CLOSED]

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]


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.
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]
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.

Happily, we have once again avoided any schedule conflicts with either the American Association for the Philosophic Study of Society (Dec. 28th, 11:15 -1:15) or the Ayn Rand Society (Dec. 28th, 2:00-5:00).

2007:

The Molinari Society will be holding its fourth annual Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Baltimore, December 27-30, 2007. Here’s the latest schedule info:

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)
Also check out the schedules (happily not conflicting) of the AAPSS and ARS.

2006:

The Molinari Society will be holding its third annual Symposium in conjunction with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Mordor, we mean Washington DC, December 27-30, 2006. Here’s the latest schedule info:

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 [footnotes]
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)

Also, don’t miss the AAPSSfest on Jan Narveson (Thursday at 9) or the ARSfest on Tara Smith (Friday at 1:30).

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.
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)
(Also, check out the AAPSS lineup later that day.)


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.
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
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?
The speakers will also serve as commentators on one another’s papers.
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!


Board of Directors


Roderick T. Long (President)
Jennifer L. McKitrick (Secretary-Treasurer)
John Hasnas



About Gustave de Molinari
 Gustave de Molinari (1819-1912)

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 and Pacific Divisions 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