Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic personal political account.
Review:
Quite simply put, Charles Murray's What it Means to be a Libertarian is the best personal political account I have ever read. With brilliant prose, Charles Murray takes the reader on an intellectual journey into his mind and his political beliefs. This book cannot be passed up by anyone who has ever had questions or doubts about the libertarian philosophy, nor by true Libertarians themselves. I commend Charles Murray for once again coming out with a splendid work which will surely expand the libertarian vision into the twenty-first century.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and concise description of the libertarian philosophy
Review: Charles Murray has accomplished something with his little 170 page book that other authors have failed to do with more massive tomes -- explain the simple concept of liberty.
It should be noted that I am not another libertarian shilling for a book that parrots my position. I am a conservative (there IS a difference between conservatism and libertarianism, though modern liberals can't see it) who read the book to better understand the uneasy alliance that we often have with our libertarian brethren.
Mr. Murray's book is not written from a purist's point of view. He does classify his philosophy as being a bit toward the classical liberal side, but his "thought experiments" show that true classical liberalism is is inseperably intertwined with modern libertarianism.
Contrary to the Amazon reviewer's comment that Murray has "lost his common sense," this book is oozing common sense. Murray, in part due to his succint explanations, shows that it is the statist approach that often lacks common sense.
Murray's arguments grow and branch out from one root assertion: people must be free to make their own decisions, even if those decisions bring harm upon themselves.
If you automatically reject that premise, then you will most likely find his arguments unpersuasive. If you automatically accept that premise, then you likely already agree with everything that follows.
If you aren't certain, then read the book, and give Murray the chance to make his case. He does so convincingly.
Rating:
Summary: The Libertarian Point of View
Review: Charles Murray has written a wonderful introduction to the philosophy of Libertarianism. This is a great book and you will walk away from it with an appreication of the intellectual and moral honesty of the Libertarian philosophy of Charles Murray.
Rating: 
Summary: Persuasive in spots
Review: I find the style lucid and material thought-provoking. The positives include use of trend lines to test claimed benefits of legistalion (I disagree with a previous reviewer that Murray misunderstands the difference between causation and correlation - rather, he sensibly points out that a total lack of correlation vitiates the claims for causation). To Murray's credit, he takes a long-term view, avoiding exuberant prophesies based on recent political events. The author seems on the weakest ground when he abandons numbers, economics and history, venturing into group psychology and prophesy, like the sidebar on the "secession of the affluent". Still, a fine introduction to libertarian thought.
Rating:
Summary: Amazon Bias
Review: I haven't purchased this book, but I would like to address the Amazon.com review of it. Never have I seen such a biased, opinion-based review of a product from an authority that is supposed to present a summary. Shame on Amazon.com for discounting the potential of freedom, and discouraging people from encountering new ideas by saying the auther has "lost his common sense." I recommend buying this book from another online merchant, if you are a Libertarian, in an effort to vote with your dollars. Tell Amazon.com that their reviewers' statism will not be tolerated. The future of freedom has only just begun.
Rating:
Summary: A book that changes the way we look at American politics.
Review: Mr. Murray gives an invigorating, precise blueprint for government in america. The book presents his argument(s) in a way that all can understand. He gave a clear alternative to the current "big goverment" Liberalism and dogma experienced today. From the first page all the way to the end, this book grabs you and makes you think about what government is like at this moment. It makes you think what government should be like. It's a no bones about it, elegant argument for less government. A return back to our classical liberal roots. This is Charles Murray at his best, but when is he ever not? This will change the way we look at politics in America today. It will be a major influence in the years to come, as the Libertarian movement gets in full swing. A model for the next century of America and her government. He puts himself on the map once again with this masterful interpretation of what government should, was, and will be again. TWO THUMBS UP!!
Rating:
Summary: Pragmatic libertarianism
Review: Murray indicates on the cover of his book that it is "a personal interpretation." And for good reason. Hearing Murray talk about such things as government's duty to provide "public goods" and our "mutual obligations" is indeed rare among those who call themselves "libertarians." I don't agree with all of Murray's proposals (greater federal involvement in education through universal vouchers, for example), but they are generally well-reasoned. I think this book can serve as a reality-check for those libertarians who believe in recklessly minimizing government as much as possible. Murray argues for a libertarian government on pragmatic grounds; and while his prose is not necessarily inspiring, he does offer an interesting interpretation of libertarianism.
Rating:
Summary: Free markets and free men
Review: Murray writes as a true libertarian thinker when he expresses disdain for government intervention into the affairs of men while concommitantly advocating sharp curtailment of its involvements. His solutions and alternatives for these interventions include businesses advertising their lack of regulation in return for minimal government oversight. I find it humorous when one critic suggests that consumers will run from these businesses (who tout their unregulated status) while alternative medicine has grown like Topsy under these same circumstances. Kudos to Murray.
Rating:
Summary: Free markets and free men
Review: Murray writes as a true libertarian thinker when he expresses disdain for government intervention into the affairs of men while concommitantly advocating sharp curtailment of its involvements. His solutions and alternatives for these interventions include businesses advertising their lack of regulation in return for minimal government oversight. I find it humorous when one critic suggests that consumers will run from these businesses (who tout their unregulated status) while alternative medicine has grown like Topsy under these same circumstances. Kudos to Murray.
Rating:
Summary: Nice
Review: The Amazon review says "He doesn't seem to notice that those customers will be running at top speed away from those clearly marked buildings, elevators, and restaurants." That summarizes the problem with the review and I am focusing on it because it illustrates the problem with the review - it completely misses the point. Witness the drug industry versus the supplement industry. People aren't "running away" from them. Interesting that the "unregulated" computer industry doesn't have people running from them. This is a great book because it will let you consider options that should be available.And this example makes main point of the book is that *IF* it is the case that people then no one will bear the cost except those businesses who chose to try it. It is called freedom to chose and then bear the costs of your choices. And if that is *really* the case then there is nothing to fear because business who don't make quality, safe products and lose all their customers won't be in business any longer.
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