Cross posted at PFS Blog

As PFS followers know by now, this month marks Murray Rothbard’s 100th birthday, which is precisely why we released Rothbard at 100: A Tribute and Assessment two weeks ago, on his birthday. Hans Hoppe realized only a couple months ago that this must be done, so we worked hard with our network of supporters and friends to make it happen in time for this occasion.

This month, and this year, is thus a special time of celebration for admirers of Rothbard and lovers of liberty around the world. A deluxe clothbound version of the book will be released soon, and the PFS will feature a panel on Murray and the book at the upcoming 2026 (and Twentieth Anniversary) Annual Meeting of the Property and Freedom Society in Turkey in September.

No doubt other groups and institutions are also celebrating and commemorating in their own way. For example, “100 Years of Rothbard” will be held in Porto, Portugal, on June 27, 2026, sponsored by several Portuguese libertarian groups: Mises Portugal, Catalaxia, Don’t Trust Verify (bitcoin podcast), Zugatv (libertarian podcast), and Golpe de Sstado Podcasto (ancap podcasters). Hans Hoppe and I plan to attend and speak about Rothbard.

Apropos of all this, I received an email today from the Mises Institute (web version below), which had the subject line “Rothbard’s Ideas Live On: Three Books That Defend Liberty,” obviously centered around Rothbard due to the special significance of this month. It highlights three books: one recent book about Rothbard, The Legacy of Murray N. Rothbard: Libertarian and Austrian Economist, by Roberta Modugno (sadly not online); one book by Rothbard from 2009, Murray N. Rothbard vs. The Philosophers: Unpublished Writings on Hayek, Mises, Strauss, and Polanyi; and his 1988 Festchrift, Man, Economy, and Liberty: Essays in Honor of Murray N. Rothbard.

The last one featured was co-edited by Walter Block, which is somewhat ironic given that Block was recently ostracized—or as Block says, “excommunicated,” employing the language of the cultish pro-war Randians that led his original conversion from socialism to libertarianism— ¹ by the Mises Institute, the Libertarian Institute, the Ron Paul Institute, the Future of Freedom Foundation, and Anti-War.com, for his recent pro-war views which would have horrified Rothbard. ² And by Dr. Hoppe himself, precisely for advocating pro-war ideas that Rothbard would not want to associate with. Indeed, as Hoppe wrote:

Block, to his credit, has published countless articles that pass muster by libertarian standards and there are likely many more to come, he has effusively praised Rothbard over and over again and he likes to refer to himself as the “sweet and kind Walter.” However, he has also published materials that clearly disqualify him as a libertarian and Rothbardian and that reveal him instead as an unhinged collectivist taken in by genocidal impulses, very much like Rand and the Randians recently taken to task by Fernando Chiocca, rather than a sweet and kind person.

… Exhibit two: This is a recent editorial by Block (again co-authored with Futerman), originally most prominently published (although behind a paywall) by one of the most establishment papers, the WSJ, (what a surprise!) and subsequently easily accessibly reprinted on Block’s own newsletter on October 12, 2023. It is titled “The Moral Duty to Destroy Hamas. Israel is entitled to do whatever it takes to uproot this evil, depraved culture that resides next to it,” and as the title already indicates, it is this screed of his, then, that reveals Block as an unhinged, bloodthirsty monster, rather than a libertarian committed to the non-aggression-principle as the second, complementary foundational pillar of the libertarian doctrine.

… Whatever these outpourings of Block’s are, they have nothing whatsoever to do with libertarianism. In fact, to advocate the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents is the total and complete negation of libertarianism and the non-aggression principle. The Murray Rothbard I knew would have immediately called them out as unhinged, monstrous, unconscionable and sickening and publicly ridiculed, denounced, “unfriended” and excommunicated Block as a Rothbardian.

… his call for total and unrestricted war and the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent civilians is actually the complete and uninhibited rejection and renunciation of the non-aggression principle that constitutes one of the very cornerstones of the Rothbardian system. To believe that Rothbard would have given serious consideration to his WSJ piece is simply ridiculous and only indicates that Block’s understanding of Rothbard is not nearly as good as he himself fancies it to be. The Rothbard I knew would have denounced the piece in no uncertain terms as monstrous and considered it an unforgivable aberration and disgrace. ³

In any case, the Mises Institute email inexplicably fails to mention the most recent and pertinent tribute to Rothbard, our own Rothbard at 100: A Tribute and Assessment, edited, spearheaded and published by Hans Hoppe, Rothbard’s most intimate associate, partner, friend, and student for the last decade of his life, his main intellectual heir and Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute. Nor have any other emails from or posts on Mises.org mentioned it since its debut 2 weeks ago. In the words of Bill and Ted, Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

But all is not lost. After listing these three books, the piece also includes a pitch to buy a “Rothbard Silver Round.” Get yours while it’s hot!

***

The email sent to Mises Institute supporters:

Subject: “Rothbard’s Ideas Live On: Three Books That Defend Liberty”

Discover three powerful tributes to the life and thoughts of Murray N. Rothbard, one of the twentieth century’s most uncompromising champions of liberty. These books showcase Rothbard’s fearless critiques of the philosophical establishment, explore his profound contributions to Austrian economics, and celebrate the enduring influence of his scholarship on the modern libertarian movement. Rothbard vs. the Philosophers Discover the radical clarity of Murray N. Rothbard in Rothbard vs. The Philosophers, a penetrating collection of essays that dismantles the pretensions of the modern philosophical establishment and restores the primacy of reason, liberty, and natural law. Rothbard confronts the giants of the philosophical canon with the intellectual fearlessness that made him the most formidable libertarian thinker of the twentieth century. PAPERBACK $12.00 EBOOK The Legacy of Murray N. Rothbard: Libertarian and Austrian Economist The Legacy of Murray N. Rothbard: Libertarian and Austrian Economist gathers leading scholars to examine Rothbard’s extraordinary contributions to economics, political philosophy, and history. This is the book for anyone wishing to understand the intellectual foundations of modern libertarianism and one of the men most responsible for it. HARDCOVER $38.00 Man, Economy, and Liberty: Essays in Honor of Murray N. Rothbard A fitting tribute to one of the most formidable champions of liberty in the twentieth century, Man, Economy, and Liberty celebrates the intellectual legacy of Murray N. Rothbard. Scholarly yet accessible, principled yet wide-ranging, this book stands as both a tribute and a continuation of Rothbard’s work. PAPERBACK $14.00 EBOOK Rothbard Silver Round This silver round honors the man who reminded the world that real wealth is not created by central banks or government decree, but by individuals acting freely in the marketplace. In an age of endless monetary expansion by the Federal Reserve, holding physical silver is both a practical safeguard and a quiet declaration of independence from the inflationary state. Own a piece of silver. Honor a champion of freedom. And remember the lesson Rothbard never tired of repeating: liberty and sound money go hand in hand. BUY HERE $92.00

Become a Member and SAVE all year long! Join as a Member: Unlock 10-25% Savings on Every Order, All Year

You are receiving this email because of your interest in the Mises Institute.

1. See Kinsella, Objectivism Schism Form Letter; I break for Randians; Breaking, Broken, Broke: Silly Objectivist Tendencies. [↩]
2. See mentions in Kinsella, Van De Haar and Besada on Hayek, Mises, Rothbard on Zionism, including: Walter Block: Walter Block, interviewed by Made in Ancapia (Youtube, Jan 2, 2026); “They kicked me out of Mises Institute for saying this,” Walter’s Newsletter (Substack; Feb 16, 2026); idem, “I have been fired from the Advisory Board of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity,” Israpundit [you can’t make this up. —SK] (May 16, 2025). Mises Institute: Ryan McMaken, “We Have Standards,” Power & Market (05/30/2024); David Gordon and Wanjiru Njoya, “Orwellian Libertarianism: The Topsy-Turvy World of Walter Block,” Mises Wire (Nov. 30, 2024). Libertarian Institute: Joseph Solis-Mullen, “Walter Block Succumbs to the Fake China Threat,” Libertarian Institute (May 28, 2024); Patrick Macfarlane, “Hoppe Kicks Walter Block Out of Libertarianism,” Vital Dissent with Patrick MacFarlane/Libertarian Institute, Ep. 268 (Feb 1, 2024); Jeremy R. Hammond, “Walter Block Is a Zionist Extremist, Not a Libertarian,” Libertarian Institute (Sep 11, 2024). Other: Oded Jacob Kohn Faran, “Exiling Block: What the Mises Institute Split Reveals About Libertarian Fragility,” The Savvy Street (May 14, 2025). [↩]
3. An Open Letter to Walter E. Block. [↩]