There are excellent observations and reasons for a presumption in favor of equal liberty for all – which led me to “therefore I am libertarian.”It is true that the libertarian political philosophy I have grown to believe greatly influences my policy analyses. However, it is not merely an opinion, no different in credibility than any other opinion held for any reason.
Tag: respect
The Non-Aggression Principle isn’t Mystical
The non-aggression principle (NAP) isn’t some magical or mystical moral code handed down by a deity or discovered in ancient ruins, it’s derived from logic and reason
The Black and White Struggle for Freedom… Or Is It?
One thing I find all too common in humanity’s fight against tyranny and struggle for freedom is our uncanny ability to completely dismiss as insignificant or unworthy of consideration “others'” struggle for freedom. Whether on religious grounds, cultural grounds, or racial, it is only “my” fight for liberty that is legitimate. Everyone “else’s” contest is a game. They aren’t “woke.” They “think they’re fighting. But they’re really just helping out the oppression, without even knowing it.”
Free Market Fundamentals
Property and ownership imply the right to trade with others. Market is a word people use to describe the conditions of trade. Conditions under which people are allowed to trade with each other without interference are known as a free market.
Blurring The Lines
Our society has a bizarre way of handling children. Kids spend the bulk of their time preparing to enter this mysterious “Real World” which they are (more often than not) not allowed to participate in. They are stuffed with facts in a vacuum, sorted by age, neat and still.
Reflections from Traveling Around the World
I recently got back from an epic trip around the world. It was by means of traveling east, first to Virginia and New York City, then to India (New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Dharmsala), then to Macau and Hong Kong, followed by Tonga and New Zealand, and finishing up in California and Oregon before heading back home to Minneapolis where the trip all began.
“Redistributive” vs. Libertarian Egalitarianism
The only equality achievable by “redistributive” egalitarianism is equality of disrespect, where the “haves” are treated as permanently exploitable slaves, and the “have-nots” as permanently useless wretches. On the other hand, the only equality achievable by libertarian egalitarianism is equality of respect, where the “haves” are free to enjoy their personal well-being, and the “have-nots” are free to pursue it. In other words, “redistributive” egalitarianism makes equality a guarantee of misery, while libertarian egalitarianism makes it a window of hope: that is, the only thing that it can be if it is to be something good.
The Five Institutions of the Market Economy
Let us see what the basic institutions of the market economy are. We may subdivide them for convenience of discussion into (1) private property, (2) free markets, (3) competition, (4) division and combination of labor, and (5) social cooperation. As we shall see, these are not separate institutions. They are mutually dependent: each implies the other, and makes it possible.
Thanksgiving Was a Triumph of Capitalism over Collectivism
This time of the year, whether in good economic times or bad, is when we gather with our family and friends and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. It marks a remembrance of those early Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the uncharted ocean from Europe to make a new start in Plymouth, Massachusetts. What is less appreciated is that Thanksgiving also is a celebration of the birth of free enterprise in America.
On Social Progress
Social progress. The true sense of the phrase is ennobling. Make no mistake, if there is to be a leap in human evolution, social progress is the requisite precursor. I long to see an era of broad, lasting social progress.