Walter Block

[[File:Walter block-teaching.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Block in 2008. "Everyone I don't like is a 'socialist'!"]]
{{economics}}
'''Walter Edward Block''' {{lived|1941}} is an [[American]] [[Austrian School]] [[economist]], [[anarcho-capitalist]] theorist, supporter of "[[praxeology]]" [[pseudoscience]], [[pedophile]] apologist, and a nutcase. According to the chairman and former [[Ludwig von Mises Institute]] president [[Lew Rockwell]], he holds the dubious "honor" of being the true owner of the fringe tradition of [[libertarianism]] created by [[Murray Rothbard]].<ref>[https://www.lewrockwell.com/2010/11/lew-rockwell/the-astounding-walter-block/ Block's Building Blocks] by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. and Walter E. Block (November 23, 2010) ''LewRockwell.com''.</ref> Indeed, Block considers himself even more of a libertarian than Rothbard, who, according to himself was only about 97% libertarian, similar to what he thinks of [[Rand Paul]].<ref>[https://walterblock.liberty.me/the-libertarian-case-for-rand-paul/ The libertarian case for Rand Paul] by Walter Block (Apr 20, 2015) ''Walter Block''.</ref>

==Ideas==
==="Defending the Undefendable"===
Block has written a pantagruelic number of articles, books and papers, the most famous being his 1976 book ''Defending the Undefendable'',<ref>''Defending the Undefendable'' by Walter Block (1976) Fleet Press. ISBN 0830301364.</ref> often regarded as a classic among [[wingnut]] libertarians. With a commentary by the [[Nobel Prize]] winner [[Friedrich Hayek]], (whom Block however considers a "[[socialist]]"), the book presents "[[Prostitution|pimps]], [[drug]] dealers, blackmailers, corrupt cops, and loan sharks as economic heroes."<ref>[http://takimag.com/article/defending_the_truly_undefendable/ Defending the Truly Undefendable], book review by Marcus Epstein (December 22, 2008) ''Taki's Magazine''.</ref> <ref>[https://mises.org/system/tdf/Defending%20the%20Undefendable_2.pdf?file=1&type=document ''Defending the Undefendable''] by Walter Block (2008) Ludwig von Mises Institute.</ref> After finishing the book, a sane person will undoubtedly conclude that not only has Block failed to defend most of these groups, but that he is probably a barely functional [[psychopath]].

===On economics===
The consensus among mainstream economists is that [[free market]] enterprise with some regulation is the best way to allocate resources and achieve prosperity. <ref>Mankiw. N. Gregory. Principles of Economics: <i>passim</i> </ref>  Walter Block, however, disagrees with most of these views, and labels these economists  "socialists" (for considering any regulation ever justified) or "positivists" (for using the [[scientific method]]). Indeed, Block has gone so far as to accuse [[Milton Friedman]] of being a [[socialist]] - which, by Block's bizarro Manichaean standards, is pretty accurate.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273074293_WAS_MILTON_FRIEDMAN_A_SOCIALIST_YES WAS MILTON FRIEDMAN A SOCIALIST? YES.]</ref> Block advocates for many ideas considered to be outdated by virtually all economists, even those on the far right. Those failed ideas include the [[Gold standard (economics)|gold standard]], full-reserve banking, praxeology and Austrian Business Cycle Theory among others. He also thinks that deflation is a good thing and that there's no such a thing as natural monopolies (defending the [[privatization]] of every road, and even the oceans). The fact that an ardent promoter of so many fringe ideas can have such an impressive seeming curriculum vitae (Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University, distinguished chair at Loyola University New Orleans) just might be evidence that Block is at least partially [[stopped clock|correct regarding one of his points]], namely his criticism of academia.

Perhaps his most famous idea in the field of what was supposed to be "[[ethics]]" is "evictionism", a proposed form of [[abortion]] based on property rights. Simply put, the idea is that abortions are cool as long as the life of the baby is not in danger. Given how horrible a person he is, that can actually be a sound idea.

===Taking property rights to the limit===
If all this isn't enough to prove Block's general nuttiness, we leave you with this quote from the man himself.<ref>Block, W. E. (2000). [http://reasonpapers.com/pdf/26/rp_26_4.pdf Libertarianism vs. Objectivism: A Response to Peter Schwartz.] Reason Paper, 26, p58.</ref> 
{{cquote|Suppose that there is a starvation situation, and the parent of the four year old [[child]] (who is not an adult) does not have enough money to keep him alive. A wealthy [[NAMBLA]] man [[Sex trafficking|offers this parent enough money]] to keep him and his family alive – if he will consent to his having sex with the child. We assume, further, [[Argumentum ad absurdum|that this is the only way to preserve the life of this four year old boy]]. Would it be criminal child abuse for the parent to accept this offer?

Not on libertarian grounds. For [[Not as bad as|surely it is better]] for the child to be a live victim of [[Sexual assault|sexual abuse]] rather than unsullied and dead. Rather, it is the parent who consents to the death of his child, when he could have kept him alive by such extreme measures, [[Whataboutism|who is the real abuser]].|||}}

==Views on other subjects==
Walter Block manages to be even more disgustingly deranged outside the field of economics. Among other bad ideas, Block thinks that a free society should permit "volunteer [[slavery]]".<ref>[https://mises.org/system/tdf/17_2_3.pdf?file=1&type=document Toward a Libertarian Theory of Inalienability: A Critique of Rothbard, Barnett, Smith, Kinsella, Gordon, and Epstein] by Walter Block (2003) ''The Journal of Libertarian Studies'' 17(2):39-85.</ref> For Block [[freedom]] means freedom of choice—especially the absolute freedom to engage in market exchange. Since all people are initially endowed with ownership over their own bodies, they should be free to sell that private property to another to do with as they wish. So selling oneself into slavery can be an expression of freedom. Despite the fact that [[Jeffrey Epstein]] found this to be a congenial view, most libertarians regard this as a bridge (built by slaves) too far. Yet contradicting his professed beliefs about freedom of choice, Block joked that involuntary slavery in the US was [[Not as bad as|not so bad]]:<ref>[https://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/01/walter-e-block/scurrilous-libelous-venomous/ Reply to the Scurrilous, Libelous, Venomous, Scandalous New York Times Smear Campaign] by Walter E. Block (January 30, 2014) ''LewRockwell.com''.</ref>
{{cquote|Free association is a very important aspect of liberty. It is crucial. Indeed, its lack was the major problem with slavery. The slaves could not quit. They were forced to 'associate' with their masters when they would have vastly preferred not to do so. Otherwise, slavery wasn't so bad. You could pick cotton, sing songs, be fed nice gruel, etc. The only real problem was that this relationship was compulsory. It violated the law of free association, and that of the slaves' private [[property]] rights in their own persons. The [[Civil Rights Act]] of 1964, then, to a much smaller degree of course, made partial slaves of the owners of establishments like Woolworths.}}
Block has also flirted with [[race realism]] at least once: during a lecture, when asked by an attendee to explain the difference in productivity between blacks and whites, he stated that as an economist he was not qualified to explain the disparity but he did offer two [[Bullshit|thoughts]] that according to him, might account for the disparity: first, what he called the "politically correct" explanation, or socioeconomic disparities and historical injustices towards blacks; second, a "political incorrect" explanation, or "lower black IQs", using racialist pseudoscience as "evidence". <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081220151811/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/11/19/loyola When Austrian Economics and Jesuit Theology Don’t Mix]</ref>

Among other stranger opinions, Block also thinks that Civil servants ([[Hypocrisy|except for his friends]] like [[Ron Paul]] and [[Hans-Hermann Hoppe]]) should be punished for [[Bullshit|their crimes against humanity]] in a huge [[Nuremberg trials|Nuremberg-like trial]].<ref>https://mises.org/library/libertarian-punishment-theory-working-and-donating-state</ref> That wouldn't however be an example of ''ex post facto'', since by his reasoning the law of the state is illegitimate and the only law that exist is the [[natural law]] of private property. This is made stranger by his belief that private courts should resolve all disputes and that if we can't determine which courts are legitimate "then its war".<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_-KsWpcqXA&t=5m45s</ref>

===Ethnic cleansing of Palestine===
{{main|Palestine}}
Never mind his extremist defense of property rights, Block has written in support of the [[ethnic cleansing]] of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank, basically the massive nullification of property rights.<ref>[https://merionwest.com/2024/06/07/yes-to-a-palestinian-state-just-not-inside-or-right-next-to-israel/ Yes, to a Palestinian State—Just Not Inside or Right Next to Israel] by Walter E. Block (06/07/2024) ''Merion West''.</ref><ref>[https://merionwest.com/2024/06/10/in-reply-to-walter-block-relocation-should-be-off-the-table/ In Reply to Walter Block: Relocation Must Be Off the Table] by Ben Burgis (06/10/2024) ''Marion West''.</ref> This led to a falling out with Hans-Hermann Hoppe, who thus [[Stopped clock|described]] Block as an "unhinged, bloodthirsty monster."<ref>[https://www.lewrockwell.com/2024/01/hans-hermann-hoppe/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-but-sometimes-necessary/ An Open Letter to Walter E. Block] by Hans-Hermann Hoppe (01/31/2024).</ref>

==See also==
*[[Austrian school]]
*[[Murray Rothbard]]
*[[Morality of abortion#Argument for the right to evict|Argument for the right to evict]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Walter}}
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[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Sexists]]
[[Category:Slavery apologists]]

Categories: Atheists, Austrian school, Authors, Crank magnetism, Economists, Jews, Leftists who turned right with age, Libertarians, Living people, Philosophers, Pseudoscience promoters, Racists, Sexists, Slavery apologists