P.J. O’Rourke (in a Reason article) offers a very cogent explanation as to why libertarianism is such a hard sell.
A prominent libertarian, O’Rourke also discusses the difficulties in selling a political philosophy devoted to taking power away from politicians.
“If libertarianism were easy to explain and if it weren’t so easy to exaggerate the effects of libertarianism—people walking around with ‘Legalize Heroin!’ buttons and so on—I think it would’ve been done already,” says O’Rourke, the H.L. Mencken fellow at the Cato Institute. “But the problem is, of course, is that libertarianism isn’t political. It’s anti-political, really. It wants to take things out of the political arena.”
Libertarianism (especially my variety) tends to abhor politics, so it isn’t surprising that people who are attracted to politics tend to abhor libertarianism.
Those who oppose telling people what to do and those who make a career out of telling others what to do simply cannot find common ground. (But at least the busybodies on the left and the busybodies on the right can find common ground where it comes to libertarianism.)
If only libertarians could make the Republicans live up to their endless promises of small government, individual freedom, and free markets…
Comments
6 responses to “Tar and water”
Thinking is hard stuff and it seems most of us don’t do it very well. Most people are taught their political views from their families, no thinking required. And most never question what they were taught. These types of people aren’t open to persuasion via evidence and argumentation. Political and religious dogmas are much the same in that regard.
Libertarianism is built on a false premis that we were free to make choices that is why it is hard to explain. After reading skinners walden two sartre said without freedom man has no dignity! So skinner titled his next book beyond freedom and dignity! When your philosophy is not based on a false premis you can explain it simply determinism: freedom is an illusion humans rats ants even computers stimulus response!
captain arizona August 28th, 2014,
Is that you Eliza?
Simon, it is primitive enough to be coming from a computer, perhaps an old mainframe stashed away in a warehouse outside Phoenix.
By the way I am determined to be an existentialist!
Simon that is still stimulus response. eliza!