Sydney Libertarianism

“Sydney Libertarianism” was not so much a unified school, but a loosely shared perspective – developed a highly original and rigorously argued social theory in post-war Australia. Drawing on Australian philosopher John Anderson and elements of Marx, Sorel, Pareto, Reich, Max Nomad and classical anarchism, Libertarianism refused to map out future utopias, but advocated permanent opposition to all elites, new and old and criticisms of illusions and servility from an anti-activist, pluralist view. Strongest in the late 1950s-early 1960s. After 1980, strands of the classic Libertarian perspective continued in smaller, philosophically-oriented Australian circles of “realists, pluralists, and critical drinkers.”

Contents

A Reading List for Libertarians, David Iverson 1956

Deadlock in Little Rock, David Iverson 1956

Integration Issues, George Molnar 1957

Ideologies, A J Baker 1958

Sydney Libertarianism, A J Baker 1960

Futilitarianism - a Libertarian Dilemma?, David Iverson 1960

Arbitration and the New Seamen’s Accord, R. Smilde 1960

Is There a New Left?, David Iverson 1960

John Don Passos, Ian Bedford 1960

Authoritarianism and Anti-Authoritarianism, David Makinson 1961

On Authoritarianism – A Reply, R. Smilde 1961

Some Thoughts on Libertarianism, David Ivison 1964

Libertarianism and Philosophy, George Molnar 1965

The Thoughts of Malatesta, Henry Mayer 1965

Meliorism – A Contribution to a Libertarian Symposium, George Molnar 1967

Meliorism, Ross Poole 1967

Illegalism, Kenneth Maddock 1970

Why I am not an Anarchist, David Ivison 1972

In Defense of Anarchism, Jack Taylor 1972



Roberto Michels and Glasnost, S Cooper 1987

Social Theory as a Positive Science, F W Fowler 1988

Anderson’s and Pareto’s social theories, A J Baker 1999

The Experiences Of A “Pommie” Migrant (1955-69), Jack Taylor 2000

Anderson on Marx and Marxism, notes on lectures by John Anderson (2002)

