Roderick Long
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Roderick Tracy Long (born February 4, 1964) is an American philosopher and academic. He is a professor of philosophy at Auburn University, where he has taught since 1992. Long is known for his work in libertarian political theory, ethics, and the philosophy of social science, as well as his contributions to classical liberal and anarchist thought.
Career
Long earned his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Harvard University and his Doctor of Philosophy from Cornell University. His doctoral dissertation focused on the philosophy of language and metaphysics. He has been a faculty member at Auburn University since 1992, where he teaches courses on ethics, political philosophy, and the history of philosophy.
Long is a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, a libertarian academic organization, and has served as president of the Molinari Institute, a research and educational organization dedicated to promoting market anarchism. He is also the editor of the journal The Journal of Libertarian Studies and a frequent contributor to libertarian and anarchist publications.
Philosophical views
Long's philosophical work spans several areas, including political philosophy, ethics, and metaphysics. He is a proponent of left-libertarianism, which combines a commitment to individual liberty with a concern for social justice and egalitarianism. Long argues that libertarianism is compatible with a wide range of social and economic policies, including those traditionally associated with the left, such as workers' cooperatives and universal basic income.
In political philosophy, Long advocates for a form of market anarchism, which he describes as "anarcho-capitalism with a leftist twist." He argues that a stateless society can be achieved through voluntary cooperation and mutual aid, rather than through coercive state institutions. Long has also written extensively on the philosophy of Ayn Rand, critiquing her objectivist ethics while defending aspects of her political thought.
Long's work in ethics includes a defense of virtue ethics and a critique of consequentialist and deontological approaches. He has also written on the philosophy of language, particularly on the nature of meaning and reference.
Selected works
- Reason and Value: Aristotle versus Rand (2000)
- Wittgenstein, Austrian Economics, and the Logic of Action: Praxeological Investigations (2008)
- Anarchism/Minarchism: Is a Government Part of a Free Country? (co-edited with Tibor R. Machan, 2008)
- Rituals of Freedom: Libertarian Themes in Early Confucianism (2016)
Public engagement
Long is an active public intellectual, frequently speaking at conferences and writing for popular audiences. He maintains a Twitter account and a YouTube channel, where he discusses philosophy, politics, and economics. His writings have appeared in publications such as The Independent Review, Reason, and Liberty.
