Tag: Libertarianism
Remembering Karl Hess on his 100th birthday
May 25, 2023 | Post
Karl Hess is a figure whose political journey was more complex and revelatory than most. His journey is one that is worth retracing today as a means of understanding the roots of contemporary libertarianism, its early flirtations with radical countercultural politics, and the outdated left-right political paradigm
The dangerous simplicity of polarization
December 12, 2022 | Post
We cannot claim to want a better and more tolerant world while simultaneously creating distance between ourselves and those with whom we disagree. To overcome the exercise in collective insanity that is political polarization, we must separate the politics from the individual.
Libertarian solutions to inflation
November 10, 2022 | Post
As long as half of the country believes that inflation is caused by the war in Ukraine, COVID, corporate profits, or that inflation like this is new and temporary, there will never be proper solutions. At best, it will be viewed as one of those random problems we must deal with when we have a crisis. At worst, policies like price controls and other government interventions will gain steam. Instead, we must move to cure inflation with more liberty.
Why Congress is broken
October 4, 2022 | Post
At LibertyCon International, former Congressman Justin Amash will sit down with Reason’s Katherine Mangu-Ward to discuss how a broken political process and the concentration of power in a few congressional leaders has resulted in this increased polarization and greater distrust of governing institutions.
Libertarianism: perfect solution or unrealistic fantasy?
September 30, 2022 | Post
At LibertyCon International, Spike Cohen and Destint will debate whether libertarianism is a perfect solution or an unrealistic fantasy
Why pro-liberty solutions must apply to the real world
August 25, 2022 | Post
Policies are not implemented in a sterile lab environment, they are implemented in the world as it exists now. If a policy increases liberty in some theoretical world, but decreases liberty in the present world, can we really consider it to be pro-liberty?
What do libertarians and progressives have in common?
August 22, 2022 | Post
While libertarians and progressives perpetually remain miles apart on economics, the sovereignty of the individual, and the proper role of the state, we should not deny ourselves opportunities to build partnerships, make friends, and advance the cause of liberty wherever possible.
Neoliberalism and libertarianism
August 9, 2022 | Post
Neoliberalism and libertarianism share many common principles despite meaning different things to different people. But what is neoliberalism in reality — and how does it relate to classical liberalism and libertarianism?
Pro-liberty discourse needs to be practical and relatable
July 14, 2022 | Post
Once again, Americans are at each other’s throats, ready to fight over extremely partisan lines. Typically, this opens opportunities for the liberty movement, but our discourse has its own problems
The libertarian personality: a quick guide to the best friends you’ve yet to meet
July 8, 2022 | Post
Friends of liberty are united by a common interest in peacefully building a freer society that champions liberty for all.
The libertarian position on abortion
July 5, 2022 | Post
What is the libertarian position on abortion? The answer is not so simple. Abortion is a divisive issue in pro-liberty circles: some are staunchly pro-choice while others are staunchly pro-life. Yet, the various libertarian positions on abortion follow a similar moral logic.
Why libertarians oppose fraud — in 300 words
April 4, 2022 | Post
Libertarians believe in negative rights and oppose infringements on people’s autonomy, but how does this work with cases of fraud?
Self-ownership and libertarianism: we must fully own ourselves to be free
March 31, 2022 | Post
Self-ownership is a key concept in libertarian ideology. It means exactly what it sounds like: the idea that every person owns themselves.
What kind of Libertarian are you?
December 16, 2021 | Video
If you feel constrained by the Democrat/Republican, liberal/conservative divide, you might be a Libertarian. And if that’s the case, Learn Liberty’s wide-ranging Philosophy 201 & 202 courses is for you.
In this introductory video, Peter Jaworski, Assistant Teaching Professor at Georgetown University, and Chris Freiman, Associate Professor at William and Mary University lay out a brief syllabus, defining Libertarianism as a political philosophy that regards individual liberty as the morally appropriate and legitimate priority for political institutions.
Legends of Liberty: Thomas Sowell
November 11, 2021 | Post
Last week, we wrote about Frederic Bastiat, the king of communicating economic and philosophical ideas in simple, direct (and often funny) ways. Of course, in the 19th century, Bastiat’s medium was the printed word. But if you had to find an heir to his throne in the social media era, Thomas Sowell would be a […]
What’s with the self-identified “libertarians” on the far-right?
July 15, 2021 | Post
Self-identified libertarians have a variety of core principles, and different stressors can push some towards more nefarious ideologies, like the far-right
Mary Wollstonecraft: Libertarian Feminist
March 21, 2017 | Post
Almost two centuries before the women’s lib movement and a full century before the suffragettes, not all women were quiet subordinates to men. In this 1996 essay, historian Jim Powell provides us with an illuminating account of the brilliant Mary Wollstonecraft, an 18th-century author and philosopher who never minced her words in defense of equal […]
In celebration of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
March 10, 2017 | Post
She was literally born out of the Liberty Movement.
Rawls the Irrelevant
February 21, 2017 | Post
My thesis is simple: If you want to square libertarianism with social justice, John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice is probably not a book you should reach for.
3 libertarian takeaways from South Park season 20 (SPOILERZ)
December 14, 2016 | Post
While the singing Christmas turds of seasons past will always be funny, it is South Park’s growing, full-throated defense of liberal values like free expression, privacy, anti-authoritarianism, and individualism that will forge its larger legacy.
Here are 7 lesser-known classical liberal thinkers for your World Philosophy Day
November 17, 2016 | Post
Here are seven criminally underrated philosophers to celebrate this World Philosophy Day.
Yet another comically bad caricature of libertarianism
October 15, 2016 | Post
Another day, another hilariously awful straw man argument against libertarianism.
Grand Jury Nullification
September 26, 2016 | Post
Just as the police and the District Attorney use discretion in determining to arrest or seek an indictment against someone, jurors too can use discretion in determining whether to hand down an indictment.
How to Deal with a Non-Violent Bigot
August 23, 2016 | Post
Libertarians have been quick to criticize the growing movement on college campuses to protect students from unsettling or offensive opinions. It would be wise not to swing too far to the other direction into the arms of bigots.