Difference between revisions of "What Is Libertarianism?"

From Critiques Of Libertarianism
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== A Justification of Personal Righteousness ==
 
== A Justification of Personal Righteousness ==
"Which emphasizes the notion of virtue in selfishness and has as its historical genesis the exceptional American experience. As such, it appeals mostly to white American males who are moderately above-average in intelligence, economically secure, independently-minded, and prefer simplistic theoretical constructs for making political and moral decisions. It validates their own affluence/privilege not by group affiliation, but by inherent individual merit; and it likewise superficially validates the poverty and lack of privilege of others not on the basis of group affiliation, but inherent fault. In this it mimics a meritocratic view, which allows the libertarian to congratulate himself on his lack of bigotry; but, in fact, it is a facade behind which his true bigotry hides." [http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2009/08/what-is-libertarianism/#comment-1644385 Keith M Ellis
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"Which emphasizes the notion of virtue in selfishness and has as its historical genesis the exceptional American experience. As such, it appeals mostly to white American males who are moderately above-average in intelligence, economically secure, independently-minded, and prefer simplistic theoretical constructs for making political and moral decisions. It validates their own affluence/privilege not by group affiliation, but by inherent individual merit; and it likewise superficially validates the poverty and lack of privilege of others not on the basis of group affiliation, but inherent fault. In this it mimics a meritocratic view, which allows the libertarian to congratulate himself on his lack of bigotry; but, in fact, it is a facade behind which his true bigotry hides." [http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2009/08/what-is-libertarianism/#comment-1644385 Keith M Ellis]
  
 
== A Substitute For Success ==
 
== A Substitute For Success ==
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== A Blinkered Ideology ==
 
== A Blinkered Ideology ==
Libertarianism is often easy to recognize by the things it will not consider.  For example: market failures, public goods, benefits from government, benefits from spending tax money, deadweight costs from private sources, threats to liberty from private sources, rights other than property rights, values other than economic values, social harms from private actions (such as drug usage), climate change, anything but methodological individualism, Keynesianism, etc.  "There are no market failures, only government failures" and other glib excuses or accusations are characteristic of such denialist ideology.
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Libertarianism is often easy to recognize by the things it will not consider.  For example: market failures, public goods, benefits from government, benefits from spending tax money, deadweight costs from private sources, threats to liberty from private sources, rights other than property rights, values other than economic values, social harms from private actions (such as drug usage), climate change, anything but [[Methodological Individualism (propaganda)|methodological individualism]], Keynesianism, etc.  "There are no market failures, only government failures" and other glib excuses or accusations are characteristic of such denialist ideology.
  
 
Shunning these ideas is essential for "consistency" in the beliefs of many libertarians.  If you don't admit contrary data, your theory is unfalsifiable.
 
Shunning these ideas is essential for "consistency" in the beliefs of many libertarians.  If you don't admit contrary data, your theory is unfalsifiable.

Revision as of 13:49, 23 May 2017