Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Don't Compromise, Don't Quit, Don't Worry, Be Happy!

After many conversations and much reflection on my part, I've come to realize that libertarianism is too important a message to compromise. If followed to its logical conclusion, libertarianism leads to anarcho-capitalism. And even though this may seem like an extreme ideal to most, this is the only form of libertarianism that can work effectively for a long period of time. Classical liberalism, while better than what we have today, still allows for a government monopoly over defense, law, a police force and ultimate decision-making, and this power will no doubt grow to the level that it is today. Therefore, it is important to not settle for a limited government, but end it entirely!

Now, the ultimate goal of libertarianism is to create a peaceful and prosperous society for all and that should be the ultimate goal of every libertarian. This may just be the Catholic Christian in me, but aren't the needs of others just as important, if not more so than the needs of oneself? We should always be looking to help others, which is why the libertarian message MUST be conveyed! This should supersede all other things, because if you believe as I do, we should help others in life and the best way we can do this is through selflessly giving of ourselves, but also through the spreading of ideas. Libertarianism should be spread because, as Mary Ruwart says, "Liberty gives people what they want." But the question is: How does one convey the message effectively?

The answer is simple. We should all just look at the wonderful example of Mary Ruwart and convey the message with a smile. We have to be empathetic and realize that all people believe what they believe because they sincerely feel that what they believe will truly help people. We must always be polite and understanding and welcoming towards everyone. Now, I will be the first to admit that I still struggle with effectively delivering the message, especially to people that I knew before I became a libertarian, and that is something that I work on all the time, but again, this message is too important to just stop trying. I don't mean to sound melodramatic, but people's lives DO hang in the balance. Now are you just going to sit by idly as aggression and hatred run our lives, or are you going to fight for peace and prosperity? Yeah, that's what I thought. :)

Yours in Liberty,

Andy
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6 comments:

  1. 111November 18, 2009 at 6:36 PM

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  2. AndyNovember 19, 2009 at 7:14 PM

    I stand by what I said. Libertarianism's logical conclusion IS anarcho-capitalism.

    As a libertarian, we both agree that a free market can more efficiently (because a government is by definition inefficient, see my Socialism post) provide goods and services that are of a better quality than any government can. That is libertarianism.

    Now the two types of libertarianism differ slightly. There are the classical liberals and the anarcho-capitalists. Classical liberals believe that the sole purpose of a government is to provide an army for defense from enemies abroad, a police force for criminals at home, and a system of courts and judges. This ultimately gives the government a monopoly on ultimate decision making. How can one expect a government to limit itself? (See my post on this entitled Is Limited Government an Oxymoron?)

    Anarcho-capitalists just apply the same logic to defense, police, courts, etc. that is already applied to everything else. A free market can supply these goods and services much better than a government. A government is unnecessary in that it is just involuntary aggression, and a free market is the only ethical way to provide for a society.

    Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to follow this blog!

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  3. 111November 20, 2009 at 4:38 AM

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  4. AndyNovember 20, 2009 at 7:24 PM

    What is government but an aggressive, coercive entity that everyone is forced to accept? I think that it is crazy to think that government has historically been an advocate of personal liberties. Governments are in the business of attacking and destroying personal liberties (see slavery, patriot act, and even Roe v. Wade [which should have been unconstitutional under the 9th and 10th amendments] forces all states to accept abortion as legal).

    As long as people followed the non-aggression principle, there would be no need for a government. We need to treat people as adults, whereas the "mommy/daddy" State treats us as children.

    Also in a libertarian society, there could be government, it would just be voluntary. So if you felt that you would be safer in a society with a government, then you could, but you shouldn't be able to force me to.

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  5. 111November 20, 2009 at 8:15 PM

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  6. AndyNovember 21, 2009 at 9:25 AM

    Government (good or bad) is synonymous with aggression and coercion simply due to the fact that it is involuntary. If I disagree with it, I would be punished with jail time or death if I tried to ignore it (ie not paying taxes, etc.).

    And just because there is no involuntary government does not mean that there would be no law and order, as there still would be a demand for that. I suggest listening to some (or all) of the lectures by Hans Hoppe that I link to in the post entitled "My Journey to Libertarianism". They talk about how not only is it better to have private police forces, etc., but it is the only way that is both moral and ethical.

    Thank you for reading and for this discussion!

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