If Libertarianism Is Such a Great System

Nobody asked but …

On a podcast, We Are Libertarians, I listened to yesterday, the interviewer asked Tom Woods, “If  libertarianism is such a great system, why haven’t any countries adopted it?”  Tom did an excellent job of answering, because it was just a softball slow pitch for him.  What I was astounded by was the question itself.  How could libertarianism be adopted by a country?  Libertarianism is a philosophy based on principles, and being in favor of large or small government is not among those principles.  The methods of forming and identifying countries are also disjoint from those principles.  I have heard some say that the oddity known as the Libertarian Party in America was formed originally not as a political party but as a philosophical association.  Surely none of the founders of that party saw it as a politically viable thing, or as anything having to do with countries.  The problem today with libertarianism is a huge identity crisis, with an unhealthy focus on strategies for being adopted by a country.  So, what’s the difference between libertarianism and voluntaryism?  About 6 months of individual study.  Thus far, there is no possibility of asking why countries don’t adopt voluntaryism.  The more effective question would be, why don’t voluntaryists adopt countries and the states that pretend to govern them?

Kilgore