Online Libertarian Education?

[RTsquared]

(Admins - Not sure where this belongs, so please move as you see fit.)

I was just thinking about this as part of another thread on the Mises Institute, but when I was study economics in college, I was exposed to the great names in economics (Adam Smith, Keynes, Friedman, etc.), but never was I exposed to Murray Rothbard et al. With the explosion of the Internet, and those of us who would love to learn more about libertarian thought in politics and economics, has there been any thought about creating a degree program a la U of Phoenix for libertarian thought? It would benefit those of us with a wish to learn more about the subject, and it would also be beneficial to those of us who really need to finish their Bachelor's Degree sometime in the next century.

Ideas? Thoughts?

[murrayrothbard]

Mises Institute offers a study course w/tutoring, etc. No degree though. What benefit would an 'official' degree in "libertarian studies" bring?

[RTsquared]

Mises Institute offers a study course w/tutoring, etc. No degree though. What benefit would an 'official' degree in "libertarian studies" bring?

I'm getting near that strata of jobs where a degree in ANYTHING would be extremely worthwhile. I've been browsing job opportunities lately (need to make more $$$ to keep running on the treadmill with Helicopter Ben at the helm of the Fed), and the vast majority of them require a Bachelor's Degree of some sort - even if it is not job-related.

Make sense?

[freedominnumbers]

This is the best quick online libertarian course I have found.

http://www.isil.org/resources/philosophy-of-liberty-index.html

[user]

I oppose credentialism in general so I don't see the point of a degree either. As murrayrothbard mentioned, the closest thing to what you're asking for is the LVMI study course.

[user]

I'm getting near that strata of jobs where a degree in ANYTHING would be extremely worthwhile. I've been browsing job opportunities lately (need to make more $$$ to keep running on the treadmill with Helicopter Ben at the helm of the Fed), and the vast majority of them require a Bachelor's Degree of some sort - even if it is not job-related.

Make sense?

That does make sense, and we have the government to blame for this. You're not just looking for a bachelor's degree, you're looking for an accredited bachelor's degree. Credentialism at work :(

[RTsquared]

That does make sense, and we have the government to blame for this. You're not just looking for a bachelor's degree, you're looking for an accredited bachelor's degree. Credentialism at work :(

Yeah, I meant an accredited bachelor's degree. However, I don't think we can actually blame the government for this (as much as I love to blame Washington for everything). The jobs I'm looking at are private-sector jobs where I have the experience, but not the piece of paper. As long as employers are looking for the piece of paper, I either have to get the paper or suffer.

[Matt Collins]

Wikipedia is a good starting point.
Read the three books by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

Constitution in Exile:
http://www.judgenap.com/

Constitutional Chaos (what happens when the gov breaks its own laws):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785260838/thomasnelsoni-20

A Nation of Sheep:
http://www.amazon.com/Nation-Sheep-Andrew-P-Napolitano/dp/1595550976/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198089728&sr=8-1


Also read:
The Law That Never Was
http://www.thelawthatneverwas.com/new/home.asp

Attention Deficit Democracy
http://www.lewrockwell.com/bovard/bovard19.html

Age of Abundance
http://www.amazon.com/Age-Abundance-Prosperity-Transformed-Americas/dp/0060747668

Freedonimcs
http://www.amazon.com/Freedomnomics-Market-Works-Half-Baked-Theories/dp/1596985062

Radicals for Capitalism
http://radicalsforcapitalism.com/

Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution
http://www.lewrockwell.com/woods/woods70.html

Good to be King:
http://www.constitutionpreservation.org/book.htm


and of course Dr. Ron Pauls reading list:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/reading-list3.html




Also watch the 7 Constitution class videos here:
http://video.google.com/url?docid=8321747074978323622&esrc=sr1&ev=v&q=badnarik%2Bconstitution%2Bclass&srcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideoplay%3 Fdocid%3D8321747074978323622&vidurl=%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D8321747074978323622% 26q%3Dbadnarik%2Bconstitution%2Bclass%26total%3D11 %26start%3D0%26num%3D10%26so%3D0%26type%3Dsearch%2 6plindex%3D0&usg=AL29H23IdtHXRIPu28a5weNAUFey_O_n5A

[Matt Collins]

As far as a degree, I know a good friend who attended http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_McKenna_College and said that they were fairly conservative/libertarian.

[user]

Yeah, I meant an accredited bachelor's degree. However, I don't think we can actually blame the government for this (as much as I love to blame Washington for everything). The jobs I'm looking at are private-sector jobs where I have the experience, but not the piece of paper. As long as employers are looking for the piece of paper, I either have to get the paper or suffer.

I know what you mean, but it is government funding and influence that has maintained that system. The university education system we have is essentially set in stone by government regulation, funding, and now accreditation. Thanks to this virtual monopoly, employers use the same standards. This is especially true for doctors and lawyers.

It's similar to how the income tax forces us to pay in US dollars, perpetuating its use and putting every other currency at a disadvantage.

In a truly free market, too much reliance on credentials would be automatically punished.

[shabazz007]

HOw would you go about creating such a program a la U of Phoenix? It sounds like a wonderful idea