Leonard Liggio, RIP

Being bitter is not that way to advance the ideas of true and radical liberalism. That is one of the thoughts that popped into my head in thinking about this great man — he was always a cheerful warrior for the cause of liberty.

Peter Boettke talking about Leonard Liggio

He was the least outwardly colorful and voluble of the faculty (which also included George Smith, Randy Barnett, and Leonard’s old pal from Students for America and Circle Bastiat days, historian Ralph Raico). But his calm erudition helped even raw, green undergrads grasp and value that there were layers and layers to this set of libertarian ideas, that they were not just bracing wild radicalism (though they were that, and all the better) but also deeply rooted in the history and ideas of Western civilization, a truly humane, yes, approach to the social order that promised not just liberty per se but also peace and wealth.

Leonard Liggio, R.I.P., by Brian Doherty