Difference between revisions of "What Is Libertarianism?"
From Critiques Of Libertarianism
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{{DES | des = Several views of the big picture of libertarianism.}} | {{DES | des = Several views of the big picture of libertarianism.}} | ||
Use the Blind Men and the Elephant metaphor to explain many views of libertarianism. | Use the Blind Men and the Elephant metaphor to explain many views of libertarianism. | ||
| + | == A Rhetoric Of Liberty == | ||
| + | Libertarianism is united only by a rhetoric of liberty. Liberty is the central | ||
| + | glittering generality of their propaganda. Liberty is vague | ||
| + | enough to justify any atrocity. We routinely see libertarians living up to | ||
| + | Barry Goldwater's "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice." | ||
| + | It's not even the same liberty to all of them. | ||
== A Rightwing Populist Movement In Miniature == | == A Rightwing Populist Movement In Miniature == | ||
While libertarians may profess socially left ideas such as freedom of choice, their right-conservatism becomes obvious if you ask them what parts of the right-wing economic agenda they'd be willing to sacrifice to realize their left social goals. They just won't give up their opposition to government and taxation, nor will they give up their allegiance to absolute property. No matter what social goals you propose in exchange. (This is a generalization -- of course some individual exceptions occur.) | While libertarians may profess socially left ideas such as freedom of choice, their right-conservatism becomes obvious if you ask them what parts of the right-wing economic agenda they'd be willing to sacrifice to realize their left social goals. They just won't give up their opposition to government and taxation, nor will they give up their allegiance to absolute property. No matter what social goals you propose in exchange. (This is a generalization -- of course some individual exceptions occur.) | ||
