Dear President Wildes,
Anyone who knows Walter Block could not – by any stretch of the imagination – believe he would hold the view that slavery was not “so bad.” There is some absurdity in having to make such an obvious point – not only because nobody today would condone slavery (even though in the past many did, including Aristotle), but because the condition of slavery is an extreme violation of the Non-Aggression Principle, the core value of the libertarian philosophy that Prof. Block has dedicated his university career and his life to expounding.
Nonetheless, this slanderous accusation against Prof. Block, made in the context of a NY Times hit piece, seems to have been taken seriously by some. I am disappointed to find that the President of Loyola University is among this group. However, I am not writing to take you to task for your unwarranted attack on Prof Block. Rather, in the spirit of dialogue which leads to increased understanding, I would like to invite you to familiarize yourself with his actual writings and with libertarian scholarship more generally, instantly available to you through free pdfs on the Ludwig von Mises Institute website (mises.org).
As a faculty member at Columbia University (Walter Block’s alma mater), I am pleased to add that he will be giving two talks on our campus next month hosted by the Columbia College Libertarians. I am copying the information below, since the talks will be available via web cam for all those unable to attend. (I shall gladly provide the web cam link closer to the date when it has been set up). I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to hear one of your most prolific and esteemed faculty members.
Sincerely,
Jo Ann Cavallo
Professor of Italian
Columbia University
