Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Book Flops in Germany

German-American libertarian thinker Hans-Hermann Hoppe must be disappointed in the reception of his book Der Wettbewerb der Gauner ("Competition of the Crooks") which at last check was ranked 1,457 in Amazon's German list.  He must have thought that his message of anti-democratic elitism would play well with the same reading public that made Thilo Sarrazin a best-selling author.  But the book has received virtually no notice in the press, and even right-wing blogs like Blaue Narzisse have panned the book: 

"Trotzdem bleibt am Ende der Lektüre der etwas unangenehme Nachgeschmack zurück, dass Hoppes Visionen einer gerechteren Welt am Ende nichts anderes sind als … eben Visionen."

("Still, one is left with an unpleasant taste after finishing the book.  Hoppe's visions of a more just world are just that - visions.")

The one very positive review of Hoppe can be found - not surprisingly - in the libertarian magazine eigentümlich frei where Hoppe's hatred for democracy especially resonates ("Prädikat für das neueste Hoppe-Buch nach allem also: Sehr, sehr lesenswert!").  Hoppe's anarcho-fascist elitism fits perfectly with the editorial focus of eigentümlich frei. The magazine's publisher, André Lichtschlag, praises Hoppe in his editorial attacking the concept of democracy: 

Wie auch die griechischen Philosophen lehnten die „Founding Fathers“ die Demokratie als – bestenfalls – Herrschaft des Mittelmaßes scharf ab. Eine Staatsform, die früher oder später in einer Ochlokratie, der Herrschaft des Pöbels, enden müsse. Den historisch und philosophisch geschulten Männern schwebte eine Monarchie oder Republik vor, geführt von natürlichen Eliten.

("Like the Greek philosophers the "founding fathers" rejected democracy as - in the best case - dominance of mediocrity.  A form of government which sooner or later is doomed to end in an ocholocracy - mob rule. Those men who were steeped in history and philosophy imagined instead a monarchy or republic - led by the natural elite. )

Hoppe's German fan base seems to be limited to the libertarian wing of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).  In particular, the Bundestag representative Frank Schäffler (also a columnist for eigentümlich frei) - uses Hoppe's argurments in his efforts to dismantle the social state (Sozialstaat).   

(See my post:  The (sick) mind of Hans-Hermann Hoppe) 

 

 

Comments

[Harvey Morrell]

You might be amused to read this libertarian critique of Hoppe: http://tomgpalmer.com/2005/07/01/hans-hermann-hoppe-and-the-german-extremist-nationalist-right/

[James]

If the book is in English, I might check it out. Thanks for the tip!

[James]

No, not yet in English. But I hope it will be soon. And you crow that the book flopped, but its ranking (out of millions) isn't too bad for a work of philosophy.

[David]

Don't bother waiting for the English version. It's the same rubbish he published in "Democracy: The God That Failed". That book will give you a good introduction to Hoppe's anarcho-fascist philosophy.

[James]

"anarcho-fascist"

Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

[koogleschreiber]

Modern fascists abuse every label as a masque, they are freedom fighters, dissidents, members of the resistance, national internationalists, protectors of the environment etc... They don't care about contradictions.

[David]

Hoppe envisions a stateless confederation of small property units controlled by the (white European) "natural elite". That meets my definition of fascism.

[Oscar]

Hoppe is not 'anarcho-fascist'. He is the opposite of fascist. He is against the state and against agressive violence.

[Oscar]

David, not a white elite. Hoppe is not a racialist. That 'fascist' is just name calling and has nothing to do with the ideology of Hoppe: universal non-agression, a private law society.

[David]

Against violence? Then how does he propose to "physically remove" gays, lesbians, and all the groups he hates from his "libertarian order"?

"There can be no tolerance toward those habitually promoting lifestyles incompatible with this goal. They-the advocates of alternative, non-family-centered lifestyles such as, for instance, individual hedonism, parasitism, nature-environment worship, homosexuality, or communism-will have to be physically removed from society, too, if one is to maintain a libertarian order." - Hans-Hermann Hoppe

[Tik-Tak]

Hans Hoppe explains his "controversial" text:

In my book Democracy, The God That Failed I not only defend the right to discrimination as implied in the right to private property, but I also emphasize the necessity of discrimination in maintaining a free society and explain its importance as a civilizing factor. In particular, the book also contains a few sentences about the importance, under clearly stated circumstances, of discriminating against communists, democrats, and habitual advocates of alternative, non-family centered lifestyles, including homosexuals.

For instance, on p. 218, I wrote "in a covenant concluded among proprietors and community tenants for the purpose of protecting their private property, …no one is permitted to advocate ideas contrary to the very purpose of the covenant ... such as democracy and communism." "Likewise, in a covenant founded for the purpose of protecting family and kin, there can be no tolerance toward those habitually promoting lifestyles incompatible with this goal. … (violators) will have to be physically removed from society."

In its proper context these statements are hardly more offensive than saying that the Catholic Church should excommunicate those violating its fundamental precepts or that a nudist colony should expel those insisting on wearing bathing suits. However, if you take the statements out of context and omit the condition: in a covenant… then they appear to advocate a rights violation.
http://mises.org/daily/1792

[David]

The analogy to the Catholic Church is nonsense. What are the consequences of excommunication? One is refused the sacraments by (self-loathing homosexual) priests.

Hoppe, on the other hand, threatens violence ("physical removal") against those he deems unworthy of his new libertarian order (gays, democrats, non-Europeans, etc.)

[Square Triangle]

I love the academic precision of this blog. Expressions like "anarcho-fascist" amuses me! How can one be, at the same time, an adept of an ideology that one part is "nothing against the state, everything by the state, everything in the state" and the other part preaches the same abolition of that state!? It's like a solid-gas or a square-triangle!

[David]

I was referring to the racialist component of fascism. Only people of white European ethnic background are worthy of living in Hoppe's libertarian utopia. That's why he's a hero of the American (neo-fascist) alt-right movement