Libertarianism Karl Widerquist, Georgetown University-Qatar
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Georgetown University From the SelectedWorks of Karl Widerquist 2008 Libertarianism Karl Widerquist, Georgetown University-Qatar Available at: https://works.bepress.com/widerquist/8/ Libertarianism distinct ideologies using the same label. Yet, they have a few commonalities. [233] [V1b-Edit] [Karl Widerquist] [] [w6728] Libertarian socialism: Libertarian socialists The word “libertarian” in the sense of the believe that all authority (government or combination of the word “liberty” and the private, dictatorial or democratic) is suffix “-ian” literally means “of or about inherently dangerous and possibly tyrannical. freedom.” It is an antonym of “authoritarian,” Some endorse the motto: where there is and the simplest dictionary definition is one authority, there is no freedom. who advocates liberty (Simpson and Weiner Libertarian socialism is also known as 1989). But the name “libertarianism” has “anarchism,” “libertarian communism,” and been adopted by several very different “anarchist communism,” It has a variety of political movements. Property rights offshoots including “anarcho-syndicalism,” advocates have popularized the association of which stresses worker control of enterprises the term with their ideology in the United and was very influential in Latin American States and to a lesser extent in other English- and in Spain in the 1930s (Rocker 1989 speaking countries. But they only began [1938]; Woodcock 1962); “feminist using the term in 1955 (Russell 1955). Before anarchism,” which stresses person freedoms that, and in most of the rest of the world (Brown 1993); and “eco-anarchism” today, the term has been associated almost (Bookchin 1997), which stresses community exclusively with leftists groups advocating control of the local economy and gives egalitarian property rights or even the libertarian socialism connection with Green abolition of private property, such as and environmental movements. anarchist socialists who began using the term Modern libertarian socialists include nearly a century early, in 1858 (Woodcock Noam Chomsky (2003; 2004), Murray 1962, p. 281). Bookchin (1986; 1997), Sam Dolgoff This entry distinguishes between three (Dolgoff 1986), Daniel Guérin (2005), Colin types of libertarianism, left, right, and Ward (1973), and George Woodcock (1962). socialist. It then considers the extent to which They take their defining influence from the the policies of these three diverse groups early socialists who split from the Marxists overlap. The third section focuses on the because of their opposition to the policies right-libertarians, both because they authoritarian aspects of the dictatorship of the have popularized their association with the proletariat. These thinkers include Pierre name and because they have a more unified Joseph Proudhon (Proudhon 1994), Michael policy agenda. Bakunin (Bakunin 1972), Peter Kropotkin (1995), Rudolf Rocker (Rocker 1989 [1938]), Libertarianism: left, right, and socialist and Emma Goldman (1969 [1911]). To some At least three distinct groups claim the name extent anarchist forbearers also include Max “libertarian” today. There is no clearly agreed Stirner, Leo Tolstoy, George Orwell, terminology to distinguish the groups but the Bertrand Russell, and the early liberal terms “left-libertarian,” “right-libertarian,” tradition (Woodcock 1962), although some and “libertarian socialist” suffice. The three anarchists are hostile to what could be called are not factions of a common movement, but “bourgeois liberalism.” 1 A guiding principle of libertarian Libertarian socialist action today is socialism is that all people must have the embodied in the creation of nongovernmental equal privilege to share in the blessings of organizations and networks aimed at mutual liberty, and this principle leads to opposition aid and sharing. Communes in rural and to unequal property rights. They want to urban settings around the world are an aspect replace the state and the capitalist property of anarchist actions. Workers cooperatives, rights regime enforced by the state with such as the Mondragon in Spain, further a voluntary mutual aid associations made up of libertarian socialist agenda, as do consumer free individuals. They consider centralized cooperatives. The sharing of software and authoritarian socialism, such as the regimes information on the internet can been seen as a that took power in Russia and China, to be libertarian direct action. another form of state oppression. Libertarian socialists have succeeding in Anarchists are a diverse group who put having some influence over left-of-center great stress on individual initiative and economists who are more closely associated action. Therefore, it is hard to determine the with Marxian economics. For example, libertarian socialist position on many specific Samuel Bowles, David M. Gordon, and issues. Some libertarian socialists oppose Thomas E. Weisskopf (1983, p 261-290) political action to further social reform within propose “An Economic Bill of Rights.” the prevailing system of government which is not strictly libertarian socialist authority, and prefer only direct action that because it works within existing state works outside of government authority. All structures. However, its content—including libertarian socialists want radical social rights to a democratic workplace and reform and the fewest possible restrictions on democratic rights for the people to chart their human behavior. All want to end the state and economic futures—have incorporated much private property as we know them, and of the libertarian socialist agenda. replace it with some kind of non-hierarchical decentralized coordination system that allows Right-libertarianism: Right-libertarians for voluntary mutual aid so that all people believe in strong private property rights have the same access to use the means of and/or an unregulated market economy with production toward their own ends (Bookchin little or no redistribution of property. They 1997; Chomsky 2003; Heider 1994; Rocker are also known as “free-market advocates,” 1989 [1938]; Woodcock 1962). “property rights advocates,” or “Neoliberals” The question of how this is to be done has The most extreme version of right- nearly as many answers as there are libertarianism, “anarcho-capitalism,” anarchists. Some want worker control of advocates virtually unlimited private property factories. Some want community control of rights. Right-libertarians seldom call local economies. Some place great stress on themselves right-libertarians, preferring to gender and ethnic equality, sexual freedom, call themselves simply “libertarians,” often and personal and cultural freedom. Some denying any other groups have claim to the place great stress on environmental name. It is perhaps poetically appropriate that protection. Some see worker control and property rights advocates have appropriated a economic equality as the primary means of term that was already being used by people establishing most other kinds of personal who subscribe to the idea that property is freedom. theft, and that these property rights now 2 accuse anarchists of trying to steal it from means instead that every individual is free them. from being treated as the property of another Modern right-libertarian thinkers include a person. A self-owner determines what he or large number of economists, philosophers, she will do. and political pundits, such as Milton Although libertarian socialists and right- Friedman (1962; 1980), James Buchanan libertarians agree about their skepticism of (1975), Robert Nozick (1974), Eric Mack state authority, they have diametrically (1990; 1993; 1995), Jan Narveson (1988; opposite views of property. Libertarian 1998), Israel Kirzner (1981; 1989), William socialists oppose state authority largely Niskanen (2003), Murray Rothbard (1978; because they see it as the source of property 1982), and Michael Tanner (1996). They take rights; right-libertarians oppose state defining influence from such thinkers Ludwig authority because they see it as the enemy of Von Mises (1927; 1963 [1949]), F. A. Hayek private property rights (Heider 1994, p. 95). (1944; 1960), and the later writings of Right-libertarians combine the belief that all Herbert Spencer (1872; 1901). They individuals have strong self-ownership rights sometimes call themselves “classical liberals” with the belief that individuals have the and claim to be the heirs of early liberals such responsibility to respect preexisting claims to as Thomas Hobbes (1962), John Locke private property in natural resources even if (1960), Adam Smith (1976 [1776]), and John these claims are unequally and unfairly Stuart Mill (1859). However, the modern divided. According to right-libertarians, right-libertarian defense of private property is unowned natural resources are essentially up so radical as to be in opposition to the views for grabs. But once someone appropriates of property held by nearly all classical them as private property, the owner’s rights liberals, and some liberals argue that right- are extremely strong and ever lasting. Owners libertarianism has strayed from the essential have little or no responsibility to share with characteristics of liberalism (Freeman 2001). those who have no property. In some right- Most right-libertarians use an ethical libertarian theories, individuals’ claims of argument based on natural property rights to property ownership are as strong as support their market policy prescriptions. individuals’ claims of self-ownership (Feser Right-libertarians