El fundamento filosófico-moral del liberalismo de Ludwig Von Mises

The research aims to examine the moral philosophy that underpins Ludwig von Mises’ liberalism. Specifically, Mises is associated with utilitarianism, as his positions seek to fulfill the principle of utility. Unlike most liberal thinkers, Mises does not shape his proposals based on natural law principles or theories that appeal to individual freedom as an inalienable right of human beings. The first section aims to provide a theoretical context for the problem at hand. It presents an interpretive framework that disconnects the content of liberalism from its potential philosophical foundations. Liberalism is defined as advocating for a conception of freedom that seeks to protect individuals from illegitimate demands imposed by others. It is argued that this conception of freedom can be supported by at least two moral philosophies. On one hand, within the realm of natural law theory, liberalism finds a solid grounding in doctrines that proclaim the existence of primarily negative (and natural) rights or in theories that appeal to individual freedom as the ultimate foundation of morality. On the other hand, liberalism can emerge from utilitarian foundations to the extent that the liberal conception of freedom operates as a tool to promote general well-being. The second section analyzes different interpretations of Mises’ moral philosophy. These interpretations are divided into two fronts: those that assume the utilitarian foundation of the author and those that link him to natural law doctrines. Within the former, special attention is given to principle utilitarianism. Within the latter, the theses that portray the author as an advocate of social harmony based on categorical reasoning are subject to scrutiny. In the third section, a particular interpretation of Mises’ utilitarianism is presented. The elements of his liberal ideology are outlined and a connection is drawn between them and the content of the principle of utility. Then, his proposal is analyzed in light of the three features of the principle of utility: welfarism, ordination, and consequentialism. Regarding welfarism, it is explained that Mises, in accordance with praxeology, adopts a formalistic approach. However, it is noted that in his defense of liberalism, he embraces a substantive approach that prioritizes the material needs of human bein factor, Mises’ position is explained based on intrapersonal (rather than inter-personal) and ordinal (rather than cardinal) welfare comparisons. Regarding consequentialism, Mises is placed within rule utilitarianism (as opposed to act utilitarianism) and, within it, in the approach of ideal rules.