Preface from the new Free is Beautiful:
The first edition of Free is Beautiful: Why Catholics should be libertarian was published in 2012, a time of great excitement in the liberty movement. Ron Paul was making a second run for the Republican party nomination for president. Many were coming to the movement, which continues to grow. This includes many Catholics who have been drawn by the deep respect that libertarians pay to individual human dignity and free will.
Free is Beautiful was meant to be a short introduction to the libertarian philosophy for orthodox Catholics, showing the (perhaps unexpected) harmony between Catholic teaching and the principles of liberty. Since the publication of the first edition, the need for this expanded, updated edition has become increasingly apparent.
Chapters 3 and 4 have been added to present a more thorough examination of the scriptures and Church teaching as each relates to liberty and the state. Biblical verses often cited to support an unthinking devotion to the state—such as Romans chapter 13—get a closer look within a broader context, enough to make anyone reconsider the duty to any ruler or government.
Since the first edition, I have also had the opportunity to consider the arguments of Catholic opponents of a voluntary society. Chapter 9 is devoted to answering those objections. Chapter 14 examines the progress of human freedom in the western world, a fitful, yet persistent movement of increasing liberty.
The rest of this expanded, updated edition has been supplemented throughout, including closing thoughts on liberty and the burden of responsibility each of us owes to our neighbor.
