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Introduction to LibertarianismConsequentialism versus Natural Rights The essence of LibertyBy liberty, libertarians mean that the individual is held to be sovereign over his or her own life, including his or her body, actions, and property. Some libertarians describe these as 'natural rights', in that they are inherent to each individual, and are hence worthy of pursuing as ends in their own right, rather than just as the means (although this is disputed, as will be explained later).Thus, libertarians oppose most (if not all) initiation of force against the individual, whether those restrictions are placed by another individual or the state. Other individuals must rely on their respective lives and liberty to acquire property, and must not initiate force against others to acquire it. Hence, libertarianism can also be defined in terms of self-responsibility, rather than by liberty. Libertarianism and other philosophiesSupposedly, we live in a society in which the terms "conservative" and "liberal" perfectly capture one's outlook. So the public perception goes, "conservatives" support low tax and prescriptive social policies (issues such as censorship, drugs, and sex), whilst "liberals" prefer greater government intervention in the economy but are more laid-back with regards to social issues.By contrast, libertarians support low taxation and unrestrictive social policies. In that respect, using the same abysmal terminology brush with which all others are tarred, "liberal" on social issues, and "conservative" on economic issues. However, whilst the practicalities of libertarian policy can be summed up thusly, the underlying intellectual argument is fundamentally different. Libertarianism is, therefore, an entirely distinct political philosophy: neither conservative, nor liberal, but sharing aspects with each. However, since both positions are actually pro-liberty, it makes no sense to simply say that libertarianism simply 'shares' aspects with other philosophies. This is compounded further when one considers how this is usually represented: on the left-right axis. On the left-right axis, if a person holds views half-way between left and right, he or she is a centrist. However, this can't be the case, as libertarianism cannot be seen as being the guiding principle of this country's government. Thus, we need a new paradigm. Consequentialism versus Natural RightsThe biggest debate within libertarianism is between the two positions of consequentialist libertarianism and natural rights libertarianism. Whilst all hold similar end views dictating that the maximisation of liberty is good, they disagree on the reasoning for it.Consequentialist libertararians believe that liberty is good for the results that it delivers. They believe that personal freedom, and particularly free market capitalism, delivered the greatest material wealth. For the most part, consequentialist libertarianism has been best propounded by economists: Milton Friedman, Friedrich von Hayek, Vilfredo Pareto, David Ricardo, and Adam Smith. Natural rights libertarians believe that the defence of some fundamental liberties are the ends in themselves. For the most part, these fundamental liberties are considered to be life, liberty and property. This sort of libertarianism has been advocated primarily by libertarian philosophers, such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Robert Nozick, Ayn Rand, and Murray Rothbard. |
