Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism - Essay Example

Philosophy 23rd Dec., Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism Libertarianism in Philosophy can variouslybe defined as the concept that every human person has the right to live their lives as they wishes, provided that they do not infringe upon the equal rights of other people (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, web). Although there are some universal principles among all the advocates of libertarianism, there are, however, various theories of libertarianism in regard to how the human society and the government ought to function, so as to ensure that the inalienable rights of individuals are not infringed upon. This paper explicates libertarianism in general, and focuses on two different philosophical positions or theories of libertarianism, i.e. the Anarcho-Capitalism and the Neo-Classical Liberalism. The paper also gives a critical analysis of the two libertarianism theories explained in the paper and, lastly, a personal response on libertarianism is given in the paper. For better understanding of libertarianism in general, let us look at some universal tenets of libertarianism. One of the main universal tenets of libertarianism is the belief in natural human rights. Libertarianism, teaches that human beings have inalienable rights that should be respected by other people and even by the government (Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, web). These rights are the rights to life, property, and liberty. These three rights are negative rights in that they all entail freedom from non-interference from the government and from other people (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, web). Libertarianism teaches that individuals are ontologically prior to the state or to any other social grouping and for that reason, individuals are more important than the social organizations or the state. Libertarianism, therefore, advocates for respect of individualism. The second universal libertarianism principle is the belief in spontaneous order. Libertarians believe that social organizations and institutions that guarantee peace and order in the society develop spontaneously, through voluntary associations of members of the society, without any initiation or imposition by central authority (Partridge, n.p.). Libertarians view order and peace in the society as a condition sine qua non for flourishing of human beings in the society. The libertarians, however, are opposed to social organizations that are imposed upon the people by the central authority; the formations of such organizations are an infringement upon the natural rights of individual. The third important universal libertarianism tenet is the belief in the rule of law. Although libertarianism advocates for freedom for people to pursue their dreams in life, libertarianism, however, does not advocate for lawlessness in society- libertarianism advocates for liberty under the law whereby members of the society would be able to freely pursue their dreams in life without interfering with the equal rights of other people. The forth common tenet of libertarianism is the notion that minimal or limited government is the best form of government (Boaz, n.p.). Minimal government is the government that doesn’t have excessive powers over the people; such a government will not be able to grossly violate the natural rights of the citizens. The fourth universal principle of libertarianism is the belief in free markets. Free market refers to an economic system whereby the government does not control the market through policies that sets prices of products and services in the market. For the libertarians, government control of markets is against the natural right of liberty. Having looked at libertarianism in general, let us look at the Neo-Classical liberalism and the Anarcho-Capitalism libertarianism as two different libertarianism theories. Neo-Classical Liberalism As a libertarian ideology, Neo-Classical Liberalism theory emphasises on the need to give individuals freedom to pursue their goals through limiting the powers of the government (Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, web). Neo-classical liberalism theory, therefore, is premised on respect for civil liberties by the government. As a philosophical ideology, Neo-classical liberalism is greatly influenced by John Locke’s political ideology whereby Locke saw government as a social contract by the people where the people surrender some of their rights to the government so as to ensure peace and order in the state. Neo-Classical Liberalism theory, therefore, view government as an aggregate of individuals in which sovereignty lies with the people. Neo-Classical Liberalism, therefore, advocates for minimalist government. A critical evaluation of Neo-Classical Liberalism as a theory of libertarianism shows that this theory is a reasonable theory that can ensure that there is order in the state while at the same time ensuring that civil liberties are respected and honoured. This is because with the government given minimal power by the people to ensure that there is order and peace in the state, the government will not have the power to violate the individual rights. The main weakness of this theory, however, is that it is difficult to balance between giving the government enough power to ensure that there is order in the state, while at the same time ensuring that the government will not interfere with the individual liberties. Anarcho-Capitalism This theory of libertarianism is also called free-market anarchism. According to this theory, state, as a social organization, cannot be morally justified (Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, web). The proponents of this view argue that state as a social organization is not formed through voluntary association of its members, but it’s rather an imposition upon the people by the central authority, this fact makes state formation morally unjustifiable. The advocates of this view, therefore, contend that the state is against individual sovereignty, and for that reason state should be eliminated to give room to free market, i.e. a market without control of the government. The proponents of Anarcho-Capitalism hold the view that the functions of the state can be performed through voluntary production and trade, or through any other social organization formed through voluntary association of individuals. A critical evaluation of Anarcho-Capitalism as a theory of libertarianism shows that the theory is flawed and it is informed by erroneous view of human nature. To begin with, many systems of governance like democracy are not an imposition on the people as the proponents of anarcho-capitalism hold; it is only the tyranny or the authoritarian system of governance that is an imposition on the people. Secondly, the proponents of this theory presume that it is possible for human beings to co-exist peacefully with one another, without a political organization that forces them to act in the right way. With human beings, being egoistic and greedy by nature, however, there should be a political organization that legislates and implements rules that would ensure that there is peace and order in the society. For this reason, therefore, the anarcho-capitalism libertarianism is a flawed philosophical ideology. In my view, libertarianism and” government control” are not necessarily incompatible; it is indeed possible to have a government in control, while at the same time ensuring that the individual liberties are respected and honoured. This is because one of the defining characteristics of the concept libertarianism as we have seen in this paper is the rule of law- there can be no libertarianism without respect of rule of law. For that reason, a government guided by the constitution that stipulates respect for civil liberties can ensure that there is order in the society through controlling the people, while at the same time ensuring that individuals in the state enjoy their civil liberties. Works Cited Boaz, D. Key Concepts of Libertarianism. Web. Partridge, E. A Dim View of Libertarianism. Web. Read More