A poet of liberty? How Shakespeare upheld and advanced our appreciation of liberty and wariness about unlimited authority

By Michael Grossberg

Does Shakespeare still matter?

And does the world’s greatest playwright have important things to say to libertarians, other freedom lovers and those millions still wrestling in the 21st century with tyranny, war, slavery and other poisonous fruits of statism?

As a veteran theater critic, I’d argue yes on both counts!

So does a thoughtful essay by Michael Lucchese reviewing and comparing two recent books about Shakespeare and his views on liberty and authority in the Law and Liberty journal.

Continue reading A poet of liberty? How Shakespeare upheld and advanced our appreciation of liberty and wariness about unlimited authority

Speaking truth to power in a funny fable: Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” the 2000 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner

To highlight the Prometheus Awards’ four-decade history and make clear why winners deserved our recognition as notable pro-freedom and/or anti-authoritarian works, the Libertarian Futurist Society is publishing an Appreciation series of all past award-winners.
Here is an Appreciation for Hans Christian Anderson’s fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” the 2000 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner for Best Classic Fiction:

By Michael Grossberg

It’s not just for kids.

Nor is Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” merely another children’s fable.

Few stories have resonated so deeply with all ages for so many generations that they become an integral part of international culture.

This sly libertarian fable has become so emblematic in folk wisdom that it’s inspired a common catchphrase: “The emperor has no clothes.”

Continue reading Speaking truth to power in a funny fable: Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” the 2000 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner