StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper explicates libertarianism in general, and focuses on two different philosophical theories of libertarianism the Anarcho-Capitalism and the Neo-Classical Liberalism. The paper also gives a critical analysis of the two libertarianism theories…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.5% of users find it useful
Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism"

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
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1672835-explanation-and-evaluation-of-libertarianism
(Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism Essay)
https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1672835-explanation-and-evaluation-of-libertarianism.
“Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1672835-explanation-and-evaluation-of-libertarianism.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism

Libertarian Position in a Welfare State: Rights of Ownership

this essay discussed the libertarian approach, its different types, Lockean Proviso and libertarianism.... libertarianism is not chaos but there are some flaws in it which I have discussed below.... Moreover, libertarianism is something that deals with the majority but people who reside in a state need rights individually.... 23-24), libertarianism is principles which are used to conclude about questions related to justice and is used to conclude about private properties....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

The Concepts of Determinism and Libertarianism

This paper ''The Concepts of Determinism and libertarianism'' tells that all individuals embrace an ethical point of view of what is moral and immoral.... Three schools of thought have emerged from this debate: determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism.... Hard determinism supports libertarianism in claiming that determinism is irreconcilable with free will.... Hard determinists refute the presence of free will and libertarianism believes in the existence of free will and rejects determinism as regards human freedom....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

PAPER ON OBAMACARE FROM LIBERTARIANISM AND UTILITARIANISM STAND POINTS

Name: Institution: Professor: Date: Obamacare from libertarianism and utilitarianism stand points Introduction The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) which is commonly termed as the Obamacare was signed into a law by President Barrack Obama on March 23, 2010 as a United States federal statute....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Psychological Issues of Free Will

The essay "Psychological Issues of Free Will" focuses on the critical analysis of the major psychological issues of free will.... nbsp;Believing in free will enables us to distinguish between rights and wrong naturally and psychology in the light of various perspectives and theories.... hellip; This notion agrees that psychology is responsible for alleviating the grounds of free will....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Political Libertarianism

Anarchism is a branch of libertarianism Political Libertarianism In the world today different types of political philosophies have been derived to form a flawless society.... Anarchism is a branch of libertarianism which believes that a society should exist without a state so that people can live in peace.... Individualism and self owner ship are some other concepts of libertarianism.... One of these political philosophies is known as libertarianism which revolves around the concept of individual liberty....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Liberalism and Libertarianism The Issue of Difference

This paper "Liberalism and libertarianism – The Issue of Difference" focuses on the fact that libertarianism is basically a strict conviction of people who believe that they are the supreme authority in terms of self-control and there are some of the moral values that are associated with this belief.... The biggest similarity among the concepts of Liberalism and libertarianism is that they employ liberty as the firm base of their respective conviction....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

The Question of Free Will

This work called "Free Will" describes two main versions of free will, which include “open absolute free will” and “non-open absolute free will”.... nbsp; The author outlines the criticism of Robert Kane and Dark Pereboom.... From this work, it is clear that the position taken by Robert Kane is the best concept of free will that should operate in a given societal setting....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Sustainability of Ethics

It will also critically discuss the costs and benefits of corporate social responsibility as well as provide an explanation of the reasons which organizations see in promoting their sustainable and ethical practices.... The paper "Sustainability of Ethics" presents that in recent decades the topic of corporate social responsibility has obtained the new course and reflection both in theory and practice....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us