Monday, March 28, 2011

Conversations about libertarians

The current issue of Reason has a provocative discussion of the role of social justice in libertarian thinking. I believe the article deals with left leaning libertarians (nice alliteration) and the topic of "social justice". It is the set of beliefs that surround oppositing points of view on this all important topic that offer fertile ground for debate and, unfortunately, generate devisive rhetoric that often fails to advance a nuanced understanding of the processes that lead to change in society.

In a coincidence a friend from high school sent me the following note:

Hey Greg,

A bit confused. As I understand libertarianism, those that advocate for the party want VERY limited federal (and possibly state) government and wish to leave all decisions to the individual. Assuming I have accurately summarized the platform, wherein would the ability for government to redistribute wealth/privileges (or anything else for that matter) on the basis of so-called social (or any other) justice?

What the author doesn't say and what many of the left spout is that "the rich" hold the majority of the wealth in this country (and for that matter, the world). Of course, the BS part of this is that there is not a finite amount of money in the world and anyone is free to pursue and obtain as much as they're willing to.

Just curious. I refer to myself as a “constitutional conservative” advocating for a return to strict constitutional government. As such, I find myself in agreement with many libertarian beliefs only disagreeing in slight ways.


My response:


Great to hear from you. There is a wide diversity in libertarian thinking, just as there is in consitutional thinking. The libertarian party, just like other political factions would only represent a portion of libertarian thinking. That is, a great deal of interesing and provocative libertarian philosophy originates from sounces outside the party system or the institutions that surround parties and organized factions. Most libertarians would look to private individuals operating in a system of natural liberty that emphasizes freedom and personal responsibility to advance individual goals and dreams.

That said, except for anarcho capitalists/libertarians, most thinkers would advocate liberty and responsibility follow in the thinking of Adam Smith and view a limited role for government as essential for a free society. It is the role of government that generates interesting discussion.

If you have not read FA Hayek's books - The Constitution of Liberty and the 3 vol work Law, Legislation and Liberty they provide a foundation for the Hayekian perspective.

Of course the place to begin to understand those who advocate liberty and responsibility is Milton Friedman's Free to Choose.


Free to Choose TV Network

Free To Choose (1990) Vol. 1 - The Power of the Market from Free To Choose Network on Vimeo.

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