Laurance Labadie

Laurance Labadie (June 4, 1898 – August 12, 1975) was an American individualist anarchist and author. He was the son of American individualist anarchist Joseph Labadie.

His writings include Origin and Nature of Government and Anarchism Applied to Economics.

In Anarchism Applied to Economics Labadie writes: "In a world where inequality of ability is inevitable, anarchists do not sanction any attempt to produce equality by artificial or authoritarian means. The only equality they posit and will strive their utmost to defend is the equality of opportunity. This necessitates the maximum amount of freedom for each individual. This will not necessarily result in equality of incomes or of wealth but will result in returns proportionate to services rendered. Free competition will see to that." (Labadie's emphasis)

Labadie was a supporter of the right of jury nullification in an anarchist society. He criticised Murray Rothbard's proposed judicial system which would not allow jury nullification, saying it would uphold, "the very economic evils which are at bottom the very reason for human contention and conflict."

See also

• Individualist anarchism
• Individualist anarchism in the United States
• Jury nullification
• Lysander Spooner
• Murray Rothbard

External links

• Origin and Nature of Government by Laurance Labadie
• Introduction to Laurance Labadie: Selected Essays by James J. Martin
• Photo of Laurance Labadie with Benjamin Tucker's daughter Oriole