XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.politics.libertarian, alt.politics.usa
XPost: alt.tv.pol-incorrect
On 12/11/18 6:04 PM, Ubiquitous wrote:
When people think of libertarians, they often tend to think “fiscally conservative and socially liberal” or “a Republican who likes weed”. However, neither of these statements are fully true. The libertarian philosophy actually goes very deep; in fact, there are several factions
of different libertarian schools of thought. The libertarian ideology
is far more intellectually diverse than American conservatives and
liberals. Below are some of the different major schools of libertarian thought. Though many more exist, these seven best capture the wide
array of beliefs.
Classical Liberalism
Classical liberalism is one of the earliest schools of libertarian
thought. Originating in the philosophy of John Locke, classical
liberalism holds that all men are born with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and property and that the sole purpose of government is to
protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence is an echo of
classical liberal thought, as many of America’s Founding Father’s were classical liberals. Generally, they place emphasis on natural law, republicanism, and skepticism; many classical liberals are firm
believers in the U.S. Constitution.
Key classical liberal figures include:
John Locke
Thomas Paine
Many of America’s Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington
Anarcho-capitalism
Anarcho-capitalists base their philosophy on the moral principle called
the “Non-aggression Principle” (NAP). The basis of the NAP is that
people do not have the right to initiate force against others. On the contrary, the only acceptable use of force is in self-defense. They
also believe that the mere existence of the state violates the NAP, as
it acquires all its income through coercive means (taxation). Thus,
they believe that no government should exist. Instead, they believe
that voluntary communities and private entities should fill the government’s role.
Key anarcho-capitalist figures include:
Murray Rothbard
Hans Hermann Hoppe
David Friedman
Minarchism
Minarchism basically falls in between anarcho-capitalism and classical liberalism. It holds many similar beliefs to anarcho-capitalism but criticizes the idea of a lack of government. Minarchists believe that
the free market can cover almost all government programs. However, they maintain that a minimalist government is necessary for the protection
of rights. Minarchists typically believe, with some variation, that government should be limited to a “Night-watchman State” consisting of police, military, and courts. Robert Nozick, author of “Anarchy, State,
and Utopia” argued that out of anarcho-capitalism, minarchism would naturally arise, as monopolized private police and courts would form a “state” of sorts.
Key minarchists include:
Robert Nozick
Friedrich Hayek
Ludvig Von Mises
Objectivism
Objectivism is a philosophy that author Ayn Rand outlines in her books “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead”. To begin with, objectivism is
an extreme Laissez-faire capitalist belief with huge emphasis on individualism. Rand believed that man was best off serving his own self interest and should not need to help out the needy. In addition, it
describes the pursuit of one’s own happiness as life’s most important goal. Accordingly, she, like many objectivists, rejected selflessness
and altruism as an inefficient direction of resources.
Key figures in the Objectivist movement include:
Ayn Rand
Leonard Peikoff
Bleeding Heart Libertarianism
Bleeding Heart Libertarians can be considered more “moderate” libertarians. In some cases, they are associated with the libertarian
left. The official site for bleeding heart libertarians says they
believe in “free markets and social justice“. Bleeding Heart
Libertarians tend to believe in social equality and egalitarianism.
They often still believe in social safety nets and a welfare state, and
fall on the progressive side on social issues.
Arguably, the most famous bleeding heart libertarian is Gary Johnson.
Much of the moderate side of the Libertarian Party also falls under
this category.
Libertarian Socialism
Libertarian socialism is a form of left libertarianism. Typically, it
is a form of Marxist theory that believes in social liberties and
limited to no government. However, they also support a voluntary
sharing of resources in a communal way. They also tend to oppose the
power of strong corporations and hierarchies. Libertarian socialists
often believe capitalism to be a tyrannical force and compare the “economic” elite to the state. As a result, they believe in ending authoritarianism and bringing in systems of direct democracy (sometimes unanimous) that distribute wealth more evenly.
This mode of thought draws much criticism from most other branches of libertarianism. Conversely, many libertarian socialists firmly believe themselves to be the only true libertarians. This partly dates back to
the origin of anarchism and libertarianism in 19th-century Europe as a
term to describe the left.
Key libertarian socialists include:
Emma Goldman
Peter Kropotkin
Noam Chomsky
Paleolibertarianism
Paleolibertarians believe that while the state should be limited or abolished, society should still hold culturally conservative views. Paleolibertarians are thus very supportive of Western and American
culture and are concerned about threats to it.
The paleolibertarian movement began in the 1990’s as a coalition of paleolibertarians and paleoconservatives that Rothbard (above) and paleoconservative presidential candidate Pat Buchanan formed.
Basically, the goal was to stop interventionism, globalism, and social democracy.
Paleolibertarians usually oppose mass immigration and foreign wars.
Many more radical paleolibertarians may consider themselves “Hoppeans”, following the anarcho-capitalist philosophy of Hans Hermann Hoppe.
Key paleolibertarians include:
Murray Rothbard
Lew Rockwell
Hans Hermann Hoppe
Ron Paul
Tom Woods
The movement, of course, is even more diverse than this. Countless
versions of libertarian thought exist within it, and it would take ages
to explain them all. Without a doubt, the area of thought is rich with diversity and variation. No two libertarians are alike, but all have
one thing in common: a desire to live free.
They don't sound like distinct and separate types of Libertarians since
they don't seem to contradict one another.... so they sound like
different policy platforms of the same Libertarian Party.
--
That's Karma
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