Libertarianism Explained

The 2oth century saw the rise of collectivism, where progressive governments impoverished their people and killed or imprisoned hundreds of millions who failed to conform. Progressive government caused all of the biggest problems of the 20th century, such as The Great Depression, eugenics, total war, weapons of mass destruction, targeting civilians, reeducation camps, taxes, regulations, government dependency, entitlement mentality, identity politics, pollution, inflation, stagnation, authoritarianism, democide, and genocide.

Libertarianism was created (or rediscovered) in the late 20th century by men who wanted to create the most ethical, the most logical, and the most natural society, and thus, libertarianism is that system most compatible with the Soul of Humanity; whereas, those who oppose libertarianism are motivated by the Soul of Animals.

Libertarianism has many roots going back to non-conformist visionaries such as Friedrich Hayek, and to Lysander Spooner before him. In fact, Libertarianism is basically the founding principles of America, which have roots all the way back to Plymouth Rock and Jamestown.

Libertarianism is individualism.

The premises of Libertarianism, along with some exposition, are:

The universe and all non-sentient life exist for the use of sentient life.

All individuals have equal rights. The law must apply to everyone equally.

It is always wrong to initiate force or fraud for any reason. For example, fight words with words. It is always wrong to fight words with physical violence.

Every individual owns himself, and thus he owns the fruits of his labor. For example, slavery is wrong because no man has a right to the fruits of another man’s labor. Likewise, free healthcare is wrong because no man has a right to the fruits of another man’s labor.

As an extreme example that would probably rarely happen in reality, an individual can sell himself. No one has a right to buy, sell, or own other individuals; however, an individual owns himself and thus has the right to sell himself to another individual according to whatever contractual mechanisms are mutually satisfactory.

No one can be trusted to work for the self interest of any individual better than that individual. All things being equal, no one knows the self interest of any individual better than that individual. No one has any right to determine the self interest of another individual.

A man is not an animal. To reach the full human potential, a man must use his brain, he must create, he must communicate, he must form agreements with others, and he must trade the fruits of his labor. Any interference in his effort to think, create, communicate, cooperate, and trade is thus immoral and unnatural.

Individuals have a right to cooperate with each other, and thus individuals have a right to form any kind of marriage, business, cooperative, union, etc. Likewise, an individual has a right to choose any willing individual as his representative.

Whether or not one is cooperating with other individuals, every action is an individual action. There are no collective actions. The actions of a group are always the individual actions of one or more individuals in that group.

For example, the corporation did not give your data to the government. It was someone inside the corporation who did that, and it was someone inside the corporation told him to do that. Likewise, if your were arrested for video taping a policeman, the government did not arrest you, it was the policeman who arrested you, and the government did not pass the law that authorized (gave immunity to) the policeman who arrested you, it was individual legislator who voted for it.

You have a right to cooperate with any individuals in any way that is mutually agreeable. For example, you can hire or fire whoever you want. Therefore, affirmative action, sexual harassment, and Title IX are an initiation of force by government. Such government promotion of any race or gender is also a violation of equality under the law.

No collection of individuals has any greater rights than an individual and thus no collection of individuals can initiate force or fraud for any reason. For example, neither a union, business, nor government can initiate force or fraud any more than can an individual. No collection of individuals can force anyone to join them or force anyone to support their organization.

If an individual voluntarily agrees to a contract that stipulates punishment for violating that agreement, then that punishment would not be an initiation of force.

An individual has a right to do anything to his property.

Although an individual can own a part of nature, land is different than all other property because it predates all buyers and sellers, and thus an individual has a right to do anything to his land – other than make it unusable.

The existence of a species also predates all buyers and sellers, and thus no one has the right to cause the extinction of a species.

Taxes are unethical. Only user fees are ethical. For example, a gasoline tax is actually a user fee for roads, National Parks have entrance fees, etc.

An individual can inherit unlimited money without taxation, not because he has the right to the money he will inherit, but because the owner has the right to give it.

Libertarian principles are superior to the opinion of a majority because it is a logical fallacy to claim that might makes right.

Libertarian principles are superior to the opinion of a ruler or an expert because appeals to authority are a logical fallacy.

Does libertarianism work, or is it just a noble theory?

Consider that government deserves no credit for everything that makes life worth living. Did government invent transistors, fire, and love? Even when government invents something specific, it always causes a net reduction in growth and innovation across the nation.

Consider that America was governed by the Articles of Confederation when it won its war of independence, and thus the world’s superpower at that time lost to the most libertarian nation that has ever existed.