There is no doubt I am an anarchist, but am I a "libertarian"? I always thought so. From what I have always been told, a "libertarian" is one who opposes aggression and fraud, nothing more, nothing less. Now I have recently been told that a strict adherence to the Constitution is also a core value of libertarianism. The thing is no one ever mentioned that part to me until now. If that really is that important, shouldn't someone have mentioned it? Even looking at the Libertarian Party website I find no mention of it, and they are the ones who are trying to be a part of "the system". They do mention the "libertarian foundation" of America, but it is a bit of a stretch to interpret that specifically as a reference to the Constitution.
From a link on Check Your Premises I found a book on libertarianism from the early 1980s which contains this statement: "Libertarianism elaborates an entire philosophy from one simple premise: initiatory violence or its threat (coercion) is wrong (immoral, evil, bad, supremely impractical, etc) and is forbidden; nothing else is." Nothing about the Constitution in there either.
I know the internet is not the sum total of human knowledge, but it is a good Cliff's Note of reality. The fact is, in an internet search of a great many libertarian sites, I only ran across one that even mentioned the Constitution as something that libertarians believe in (and now I can't even find it again). If it were that important, someone is seriously dropping the ball.
I ask this rhetorically. I'm not looking for a debate over what makes a "real" libertarian, since that has been done to death. It really doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I know what I believe, and that doesn't change because of a label. I am happy being an anarchist if no one else wants me.
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Do you really live in Scranton? Have you ever met Dwight Shrewt? ;)
ReplyDeleteScranton is just the nearest city. I've been there, though, and seen "Dunder-Mifflin" banners downtown.
ReplyDeleteI think the constitution is useful to libertarianism when it encourages a reduced role of the government. It is something easy to use for arguing a case, like gun control or free speech. But in the end, it is a limited tool and the ideas libertarianism espouses should be based on principle and not the constitution.
ReplyDeleteStrict adherence to the Constitution would make it impossible for others around the world to be libertarians. It's full of some great libertarian ideas, but it's a document originally created by libertarian thinking, not the source of libertarian thinking.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that, Dr. T.
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