Episode 125. From Leftism to Liberty, a Personal Journey with Michael Rectenwald

Show Notes

Episode 125. From Leftism to Liberty, a Personal Journey with Michael Rectenwald

Michael Rectenwald, a former NYU professor and now a presidential candidate on the Libertarian Party ticket, discusses his journey from leftism to libertarianism. He speaks about his awakening to the problems of the woke left and the suppression of free speech on college campuses. Rectenwald explains how his study of economics, particularly the works of Ludwig von Mises, led him to reject socialism and embrace libertarianism. He emphasizes the importance of individual liberty and the need to decentralize power. Rectenwald also shares his motivation for running for president and his vision for a society based on maximum liberty and private property.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Michael Rectenwald's Background
03:53 Awakening to the Problems of the Woke Left
09:18 Rejecting Socialism: Embracing Libertarianism
15:31 The Importance of Individual Liberty and Decentralization

Takeaways
Michael Rectenwald's journey from leftism to libertarianism was sparked by his opposition to the woke left and the suppression of free speech on college campuses.
His study of economics, particularly the works of Ludwig von Mises, led him to reject socialism and embrace libertarianism.
Rectenwald emphasizes the importance of individual liberty and the need to decentralize power.
He is running for president on a platform of maximum liberty and private property.

Sound Bites
"I renounced the left in one fell swoop, all of it, and said I wanted nothing further to do with it."
"It's under capitalism, it's the consumer that really determines what the means of production are and what they'll do because they voice their wishes with their dollars, with purchasing power."
"Value is what people will pay for something and whether they want it in the first place. So there is no way to get value outside of the marketplace."

Resources

Dr. Michael Rectenwald on X: "Allow me to reintroduce myself."
https://twitter.com/RecTheRegime/status/1786008528135524748

From Leftism to Liberty, a Personal Journey | SpringerLink
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-29608-6_60#citeas

Libertarian Autobiographies: Moving Toward Freedom in Today’s World | SpringerLink
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-29608-6

From Leftism to Liberty, a Personal Journey — Michael Rectenwald
https://www.michaelrectenwald.com/essays/from-leftism-to-liberty-a-personal-journey

From Leftism to Liberty, a Personal Journey_from_Libertarian_Autobiographies.pdf - Google Drive
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ck6bl_mOq2cu0EmfG7w7gFvf61uG2E7_/view

Amazon.com: Michael Rectenwald: books, biography, latest update
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001KC6JIY

Michael Rectenwald 2024
https://rectenwald2024.com/bio/
https://rectenwald2024.com/issues/

Michael Rectenwald on the Tom Woods Show
https://tomwoods.com/ep-1771-michael-rectenwald-on-the-american-dystopia/
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2169-the-great-reset-and-woke-capitalism-with-michael-rectenwald/
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2371-michael-rectenwald-and-tom-woods-on-ayn-rand-rfk-lockdown-victims-and-personal-productivity/
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2404-anti-marx-anti-war-with-michael-rectenwald/

1. The Success of Socialist Ideas | Mises Institute
https://mises.org/online-book/socialism-economic-and-sociological-analysis/introduction/1-success-socialist-ideas

2. The Crisis of Civilization | Mises Institute
https://mises.org/online-book/socialism-economic-and-sociological-analysis/conclusion-historical-significance-modern-socialism/2-crisis-civilization

Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis: Ludwig von Mises, J. Kahane: 9780913966631: Amazon.com: Books
https://www.amazon.com/Socialism-Sociological-Ludwig-von-Mises/dp/0913966630

Rectenwald, M. (2023). From Leftism to Liberty, a Personal Journey. In: Cavallo, J.A., Block, W.E. (eds) Libertarian Autobiographies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29608-6_60

Keywords
Michael Rectenwald, NYU, leftism, libertarianism, free speech, woke ideology, socialism, Ludwig von Mises, individual liberty, decentralization, presidential campaign

Tags
#MichaelRectenwald
#RecTheRegime
#NYU
#leftism
#libertarianism
#freespeech
#woke
#ideology
#socialism
#LudwigvonMises
#Mises
#individualliberty
#decentralization
#presidentialcampaign
#liberty
#freedom
#forgeoffreedom

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