By Julian Sanchez.
As one person I know - an Objectivist - libertarianism isn't a philosophy but a loose code of principles.
Personally, to understand libertarianism, it takes intelligence. The one thing I like about them is they're viciously consistent and have a keen understanding of 'the unseen' unintended consequences of government interventionism. If anything, they're a talented group of skeptical minds who know how to spot bull shit from a mile away.
It's, I think, also about making aware of trade-offs with our laws. If you accept a law, then you have to accept the government will forcefully enforce it and this means death to innocence sometimes. They argue too many laws are bad for society and many of our vices (ie drug use) is best left to free people acting as their own free and moral agents. Once the government gets involved, well, you get the war on drugs. They understand better than any group Tacitus's dictum of 'the more numerous the laws, the more corrupted the society.'
Or, as PJ O'Rourke put it 'would you kill your mother to pave I-95?'
As for a philosophical outlook, it complements well with classical liberalism; the Latin language of philosophy.
Liberalism may be dead and taken over by the dark, short-sighted, mean-spirited and stupid mind of a progressive, but classical liberalism has but a faint pulse among contemporary minds.
It's a shame because what took over is a disgrace and dishonors the liberal tradition that forms the base of Western civilization and excellence.
As one person I know - an Objectivist - libertarianism isn't a philosophy but a loose code of principles.
Personally, to understand libertarianism, it takes intelligence. The one thing I like about them is they're viciously consistent and have a keen understanding of 'the unseen' unintended consequences of government interventionism. If anything, they're a talented group of skeptical minds who know how to spot bull shit from a mile away.
It's, I think, also about making aware of trade-offs with our laws. If you accept a law, then you have to accept the government will forcefully enforce it and this means death to innocence sometimes. They argue too many laws are bad for society and many of our vices (ie drug use) is best left to free people acting as their own free and moral agents. Once the government gets involved, well, you get the war on drugs. They understand better than any group Tacitus's dictum of 'the more numerous the laws, the more corrupted the society.'
Or, as PJ O'Rourke put it 'would you kill your mother to pave I-95?'
As for a philosophical outlook, it complements well with classical liberalism; the Latin language of philosophy.
Liberalism may be dead and taken over by the dark, short-sighted, mean-spirited and stupid mind of a progressive, but classical liberalism has but a faint pulse among contemporary minds.
It's a shame because what took over is a disgrace and dishonors the liberal tradition that forms the base of Western civilization and excellence.
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