About Auberon Herbert

Auberon Herbert (1838–1906) was a British political philosopher, writer, and member of Parliament. He recognized and conveyed in many essays, debates, and speeches that each individual has inalienable rights to direct his own mind and body, and to keep and use the product of his own effort. In defense of these rights, Herbert advocated a strictly limited, voluntarily funded, rights-protecting government. This social system, which Herbert called “voluntaryism,” is what is known today as laissez-faire capitalism. For a brief introduction to his work, see “Auberon Herbert: Advocate of Reason, Individual Rights, and Limited Government.”