Are Libertarians Greedy and Delusional? A Soho Forum Debate

Northwestern University law professor Andrew Koppelman and Soho Forum director Gene Epstein debate the resolution, "Libertarianism has been thoroughly corrupted by delusion, greed, and disdain for the weak."

Taking the affirmative is Koppelman, John Paul Stevens Professor of Law and a professor of political science at Northwestern University. He received the Walder Award for Research Excellence from Northwestern, the Hart-Dworkin award in legal philosophy from the Association of American Law Schools, and the Edward S. Corwin Prize from the American Political Science Association. He has written more than 100 scholarly articles and eight books, most recently Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy was corrupted by Delusion and Greed. You can find his recent work at andrewkoppelman.com.

Arguing for the negative is Epstein, the director of the Soho Forum and former economics and books editor of Barron's. He's the author of Econospinning: How to Read Between the Lines When the Media Manipulate the Numbers. Epstein has taught economics at the City University of New York and St. John's University and worked as a senior economist for the New York Stock Exchange. He has defended the negative at six Soho Forum debates. His November 2019 debate on socialism with University of Massachusetts professor Richard Wolff has gained almost 6 million views on Youtube.