%0 Journal Article
%T Areopagitica: Milton¡¯s Influence on Classical and Modern Political and Economic Thought
%A Isaac M. Morehouse
%J Libertarian Papers
%D 2009
%I Ludwig von Mises Institute
%X This article draws general economic arguments against central planning, state licensure and regulation from Milton¡¯s Areopagitica, a 17th Century pamphlet on free-speech. Though Milton¡¯s work was written primarily as a defense for moral man and a warning against religious encroachment by government it provides some of the best and most foundational general arguments, both moral and practical, against government intervention in any field. Milton¡¯s accessible and persuasive style and his ability to combine practical and moral arguments made his work a monumental case against censorship. However, the work has more to offer than a defense of free-speech. Libertarian economists can find in Milton many compelling arguments against central planning, licensure and regulation which have been and should continue to be reiterated.
%K libertarianism
%K free-speech
%U http://libertarianpapers.org/2009/38-morehouse-areopagitica-miltons-influence/