Libertarian Ideas Research Articles

Fragments of libertarianism and neoliberal ascendancy: ideological features and limitations of the liberal breakthrough in Finland

ABSTRACT This article explores the fragmentary history of libertarianism in Finland. We identify actors who have advanced libertarian ideas and agendas between 1970 and 2000 and discuss the purposes for which they have been mobilized in a Finnish context. Theoretically, we emphasize the primacy of local political cultures and context in the transnational circulation of political ideologies. In Finland, the introduction of libertarianism was contingent particularly upon foreign policy developments. Empirically, we proceed from the observation that Finland was a Nordic latecomer. Programmatic libertarian views, or serious discussions of Ayn Rand or Murray Rothbard, were conspicuously absent in Cold War Finland, and even in the 1990s they figured primarily as a subculture on the nascent World Wide Web. However, when more broadly understood as a positive emancipatory promise of individual freedom, libertarian ideas were important in pushing for a liberal turn in Finnish politics and society in the 1980s and 1990s. In the end, however, anti-statist and cultural libertarianism were subsumed by statist and economic neoliberalism.

Left Libertarianism for the Twenty-First Century

There are many different kinds of libertarianism. The first is right libertarianism, which received its most powerful expression in Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974), a book that still sets the baseline for discussions of libertarianism today. The second, I will call faux libertarianism. For reasons I will explain in this paper, most ‘man-on-the-street’ libertarians and most politicians who claim to be libertarians are actually this kind of libertarian. And third, there is left libertarianism, which is what I shall spend most of this paper explicating. But I will not simply be surveying the views of those who identify as left libertarians and put this forth as if I were engaged in an exegetical exercise. Instead, what I shall set forth is a kind of manifesto, a statement of why I consider myself a left libertarian, one that takes this approach to political morality well beyond where it was left around the end of the last century by the previous generation of left libertarians. My hope is to provide those who find certain left libertarian ideas attractive a guide by which they can explain and harmonise their own views, recognise left libertarianism as a distinct comprehensive political doctrine, and feel more open to identify themselves as left libertarian too.

Libertecture: A catalogue of libertarian spaces

In this article we identify spaces and built environments that have the effect of placing libertarian thinking in urban contexts, using the term ‘libertecture’ to refer to the way that these architectures convey principles of personal liberty and unfettered market activity. These ideas are thus embedded in cities via the design, architecture, management and function of an emerging array of buildings, districts and infrastructures. Locating our analysis in cultural political economy, we believe that these libertectures are important because of the way that they refract and amplify divisive ideas into the social spaces and thinking of residents and citizens. Whereas neoliberal urbanism was seen as undermining socially just cities, libertarian ideas amplified by new built environments may presage more atomised, unequal and unsustainable urban conditions, potentially foreclosing the identification of more just alternatives and democratic forms. We offer a ‘catalogue’ of seven forms of libertecture: private cities, residential exits, portal spaces, fiscal lockers, pioneer exclaves, infinity spaces, and necrotectures. We conclude that the manifestation of libertarian thinking in spaces and city forms is an important object of study for urban studies as it considers challenges to inclusive and sustainable forms of urban governance.

Does Libertarianism Provide a Justification for Vaccine Hesitancy?

Libertarian ideas of self‐ownership and the priority of bodily autonomy have featured prominently in the political debate over vaccination programmes and the justifiability or otherwise of restricting the liberty of the unvaccinated. In this article we look at a selection of recent right‐libertarian literature to show that there is a considerable divergence between the application of consistent libertarian principles to this issue by academic libertarians and the strident opposition to vaccination programmes and vaccine mandates expressed by people who profess to be libertarians in the public‐political debate.

Irony in Nasim-e-Shomal Complete Collection

Irony is a ambiguous word whose secondary meaning is important; This literary technique has a wide capacity to convey concepts and purposes that are not available for direct presentation. Nasim Shomal (Sayyid Ashraf al-Din al-Husseini) was one of the poets of the constitutional era who, in order to explain his political and social ideas in the midst of the oppression and tyranny of his time, had no choice but to indirectly express his libertarian ideas. This rhetorical industry benefits. The present study, which has been written in a descriptive-analytical method using library resources and tools, tries to investigate the presence of irony and its types in Nasim Shomal poetry. The results of this study show that the ironic language of North Breeze, in addition to perpetuating its effects, provides a broad context for the creation of irony; Because basically the ironic literary foundation, especially verbal ironics, looks at the secondary meaning, not the primary meaning; And the poet uses this technique, while explaining his social thoughts, tries to remove the fatigue and boredom caused by the repetition of themes. It can also be admitted that the ironies used in his poems are not very rare and most of them are as simple as the language of the poet's poems. Also, based on the present study, it can be acknowledged that the analysis of the poems of Northern Ness is simply a reduction of the latent capacities in this text by considering it as humor in the existing literary studies (and not ironic). Keywords: Irony, North Breeze, Constitution, Social Literature.

Public issues, policy proposals, social movements, and the interests of the Koch Brothers network of allies

There are many important societal issues facing the US and the world. There are also policy initiatives intended to deal with the problems raised by these issues. We couple some of the social issues and the policy initiatives to address them to the efforts of the Koch Brothers who created a powerful network of allies mobilized to support their libertarian ideas and ambitions. The relevant theoretical domain concerns the operation of social movements as the network of their allies forms a social movement. The mobilization includes obstructing many of the constructive policy initiatives discussed in the literature. This network has a diverse array of actors, each with their own core interests. A total of 443 Koch Brothers allies were identified. Their URLs were visited repeatedly to identify their core interests, for which a set of 47 keywords were established. A network for these keywords was constructed in which the links are the number of times they were shared by allies of the Koch Brothers. A variant of community detection was used to determine six communities of interests, all of which are very coherent. These communities are discussed in terms of the issues they raise for the US and the world. The implication for theory construction is to more fully understand the organization of actors opposing policy proposals for solving important societal problems and find effective ways for countering their destructive efforts.

ІНФРАСТРУКТУРНІ УМОВИ РОЗВИТКУ ЕКОНОМІКИ НА ЗАСАДАХ ЛІБЕРТАРІАНСТВА

The article reveals infrastructure conditions for the development of the economy on the basis of libertarians. It is established that since the national economy is characterized by a number of problems associated with infrastructure conditions and technological retardation, then the method ology of proactive management of the development of Ukraine's economy on the basis of libertarians, characterizes it as such that covers a wide range of models, methods, mechanisms and instruments. The question of infrastructural conditions for the development of the economy on the basis of libertarians is reimeted under the influence of scientific and technological progress and global crisis phenomena. It is the study of the infrastructure conditions of economic development to become a benchmark for the formation of future socio-economic prosperity. All this necessitates the adjustment of traditional views on the directions and ways of infrastructure conditions for the development of the economy in terms of global scale of libertarian ideas. In the course of the study it has been established that in various evolutionary periods, elements and mechanisms of the new system of management of the country were originally necessary. At a certain stage in its formation, the economic system of each particular country was in equilibrium, the characteristics of each of its components (subsystems, elements) were agreed with each other, and the links between them were evolutionary, from time to time with different moods: from the confession of ideas Libertarianism to a rigid position of necessity of state regulation. It is determined that effective development management of the economy, as shown by the examples of many countries, is primarily involved in the creation of infrastructure conditions, which requires the substantiation of methods and tools for managing the development of local, regional and state levels. The article presents a copyright understanding of the reasonableness of the choice of methods and tools for managing the development of the economy on the basis of libertarians. It is proved that the basis for understanding the essence of such infrastructure conditions for the development of the economy on the basis of libertarians is an understanding of the essence of the public network. It is determined that effective implementation of substantiated organizational, economic, logistic and political decisions are created new opportunities for the development of the economy on the basis of libertarians and will contribute to the successful implementation of the existing potential.

Is libertarianism the new future? Analyzing ideological and philosophical roots of the libertarian thought in the United States

Libertarianism as a political ideology and movement has garnered big curiosity in American political discourse in recent years. This support was further solidified with the achievement of getting the most votes ever in the history of the Libertarian Party, in 2016 U.S. presidential election. This research paper thoroughly examines the characteristics, main concepts and criticism of the ideology by continuously providing detailed outlook on the important libertarian notions and elaborating the discussed ideas through carefully-thought, case by case examples. The scientific work is multidimensional and multifaceted in its scope, and contains arguments with their counter-arguments to depict a broad, rational picture. Thus, the reader can see, fathom and compare the shortcomings and advantages of the talked ideas more effectively. Libertarian philosophy gives huge importance to the notions of liberty, freedom and individualism. Apart from this, another common thing that brings all libertarians together is their lack of trust to the government. Hence they always aspire to limit the role of it. Libertarians always emphasize the importance of free markets and vigorously express their discontent with any outside intervention to it, especially the one by the government. There are many different forms of libertarianism, some of them are more radical and support no-state structure. Libertarians, in principle, are not really concerned with inequality; they actually consider it positive to some extent. Although on the surface level the rationale behind many libertarian ideas seems reasonable and convincing, the empirical evidence and analyzing the results of actions which occur as the direct implementation of these principles show the necessity of a more comprehensive and accommodating approach. As society, economy and governing are so interconnected and intertwined with each other, certain actions have unintended consequences and in long term may yield destructive effect. The empirical reality should be taken into account in order to formulate effective policies for the benefit of the people.

An Interpretative Model of the Evolution of Hoppe’s Argumentation Ethics

Abstract This article intends to be a simple guide to understand how Hoppe built the Argumentation Ethics. In my early studies of libertarian ideas, and of Argumentation Ethics in particular, I could not find a unique text that would explain how Hoppe put the necessary bricks together to build the Ethics. As I was curious about this issue, I assumed others would also like to know it. To write this article, I reviewed the main literature on Argumentation Ethics, starting with Kinsella’s Concise Guide [9]. Then, I interviewed Stephan Kinsella and Prof. Walter Block. Finally, I synthesized the main ideas from the literature and the interviews elaborating an interpretative model, presented in this article.

PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT IN THE SYSTEM OF BASIC PRINCIPLES OF LIBERTARIANISM

The article deals with the problems of professional management development in the system of basic principles of libertarianism. The necessity to develop professional management and ensure its innovative dynamics is determined. The key ideas of libertarianism and their influence on the development of the management system are analyzed. Characterization of the basic principles of libertarianism with determination of the features of each principle and features of their management support is given. The need for research and management application of the principles of libertarianism is considered. The importance of development of innovative economy and adequate processes of its management support is proved. The analysis of the systemic quality of the professional management system in the context of the principles of libertarianism is carried out. The features of efficiency and effectiveness of managerial work are determined. Attention is drawn to the need for specialized professional training of management personnel of state institutions. The importance of the real action of the principles of libertarianism is shown: individuality, freedom, integrity of production. Particular attention is paid to the libertarian approach to peace. Attention is drawn to the causes of the development of libertarian ideas in contemporary Ukrainian society. A range of actions is proposed to professionalize management in Ukraine. The features and causes of the formation of a statist consensus and the reaction of libertarianism are considered. Attention is drawn to the need for further study of libertarianism in order to attract its ideas to reform activity in Ukraine.

Ideological Origins of William Penn's 'Holy Experiment'

The story of the founding of Pennsylvania is well-known to historians and the public alike. Penn, having inherited the debt owed to his father by Charles II, leveraged this debt to acquire a proprietary charter to over 45,000 square miles of what would become Penn's religiously tolerant Quaker colony. Less well-known are the origins of the ideas that buttressed Penn's colonial government. One historian wrote that William Penn remains a man apart, a figure whom many know a little, but few know well. Regarding the Quakers, another historian concluded that [t]he Society of Friends...have enormous significance for the history of humanitarian and religious reforms, but in a discussion of eighteenth-century arguments about the constitution they can be safely neglected. As a result of this neglect, there is a gap in the scholarly work regarding the philosophical origins of Penn's ideas for governing the Pennsylvania colony. This paper seeks to fill that gap by examining Penn's writings and ideas about governance and searching for their roots in the people and the events that shaped his early life in England. Ultimately, the ideological origins that underpinned Penn's Holy Experiment were primarily derived from the ancient English constitution, as exemplified by the radical English Leveller movement of the mid-17th century, and included religious freedom, trial by jury, and popular consent by expanded suffrage. The radical libertarian ideas of the Levellers, as applied to Pennsylvania's colonial government, were remarkably liberal for their time. The legacy of Penn's ideas flourished into the 18th century and provided a lasting influence through the Founding generation and beyond.

The Idea of (Climate) Justice, neoliberalism and the Talanoa Dialogue

Climate change requires global leaders to take domestic action to drastically reduce emissions and to engage urgently in adaptation and in disaster risk reduction, while developed countries need to fund developing countries to support their efforts. It also requires facing the prospect that the loss and damage resulting from climate disasters will not be avoided through adaptation alone, that there will be extensive uncompensated losses, and that millions of climate displaced people may be on the move. The Paris Agreement is the international community's attempt to deal with these challenges. Yet, this article claims that the Agreement, which sets the parameters for the way forward, is a largely neoliberal document that undermines the corrective and distributive ideals of climate justice. Relying on the capabilities approach and a modified version of Amartya Sen's The Idea of Justice, this article teases out the ‘clash of civilizations’ between neoliberalism and climate justice. It sets out the concerns about neoliberalism in the climate change space and proceeds to interrogate the claim that the Paris Agreement is a neoliberal document. Essentially, climate justice demands state-based responses, developed through democratic deliberation and participation, to ensure the survival, functioning and flourishing of humans and non-humans. Neoliberalism, meanwhile, posits that government is too large and complex and that regulatory activities unnecessarily disrupt the efficient operation of the market economy. Furthermore, libertarian ideas of justice undermine climate justice principles as the valorization of market mechanisms, private property rights and private sector actors remove the issues from political contention and democratic participation. Ultimately, I question whether any justice-based normative meta-consensus or discursive meta-consensus, such as the Talanoa Dialogue, might be found in the Paris Agreement to disrupt the international neoliberal agenda.

El naciente derecho laboral mexicano: 1891-1928

This essay shows the ideological and doctrinal sources that prepared the way for the so-called social constitutionalism in Mexico since the end of the 19th century. Very close to the current European social issue, the Mexican liberals discussed the protection of workers and the dignity of work, disclosing free recruitment and free exercise of the profession enacted at the old article 5 of the Constitution of 1857, from subordinated and salaried work of the new article 123 of the Constitution of 1917. A mixture of libertarian and Catholic ideas and some other external influences led to the foundational and controversial debate of registering as a constitutional norm, the protection of the social and economic rights of the manufacturing and agricultural workers, which snatched judicial control, in civil matters, (which was common in other countries of America) of lawsuits arising from the recruitment, permanence and dismissal of workers, which passed to the scope of the Conciliation and Arbitration Boards under the control of the revolutionary executive of 1917. The essay shows, with original and little consulted sources, that the ideological and doctrinal influences that were behind the writing of the article of work in Mexico were in some times against the attribution of judicial law, the Amparo, in hands of the Mexican Supreme Court, despite the fact that the executive power maintained until the current reforms of 2018-2019, the control of those conciliation and arbitration boards. With the reforms of 1928 and the first Federal Labor Law of 1931, labor matters became a norm of political control of the executive power, inaugurating a kind of mass politics and unions control managed by General Cardenas government (1934-1940).It also highlights the strong influence of the libertarian and anarchist ideas of the political newspaper Regeneration of Ricardo Flores Magon in the doctrinal body of section VI of the new article 123, which the literature known until today tends to insinuate more from the Catholic perspective of Rerum Novarum.

«Політика щастя» в соціальній державі.

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of happiness and the of happiness in social states. The aim of the work is to determine the role of the social state in the formation of a society of happy people and how it will implement the policy of happiness. The scientific novelty of the study is in determining the ability to pursue the of happiness in a competitive society. The study shows an increase in interest in the problem of happiness of both scientists and politicians. An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the problem of happiness is noted. It is noted that the idea of the ways of forming a socially just society is changing. Attention is paid to discussions about maximizing happiness as the goal of government. The essence of the social state is determined, which most consistently implements the task of creating decent living conditions for people. The importance of freedom in ensuring human happiness and the need for the state to provide social protection from the negative impact on society of economic freedom and the are proved. The level of protection of citizens from the (level of decommodification) is considered as one of the criteria for various models of the social state. Various strategies are analyzed and evaluated to best meet the needs of society and their practical application in different countries: traditionally left (supports the state guarantee of human needs) traditionally right (satisfaction of needs depends on the market); strategies combining the characteristics of these two strategies (“hybrid”). The difference between countries that use “hybrid” strategies is that there is more to it – a “market” or “market regulation to meet the needs of the population.” As an example, we consider the use of hybrid strategies in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, where there was a market socialism economy. The compatibility of libertarian ideas with the of happiness proclaimed in Ukraine is determined. It is concluded that the realization of aspirations to form a society of happy people in Ukraine depends on the construction of a social state.

BARCELONA: A PERSISTÊNCIA DE UMA CULTURA LIBERTÁRIA

O reaparecimento das ideias libertárias despertou o interesse por compreender a única experiência histórica onde o anarquismo foi governo e que tem servido de inspiração a novos movimentos sociais urbanos no Brasil. Este artigo discute a presença da cultura libertária em Barcelona hoje, como marca das experiências cooperativas e assembleístas oriundas dos bairros e que se mesclaram em uma combinação inédita com a Confederação Nacional do Trabalho, a CNT. O material utilizado se baseia na bibliografia e arquivos pertinentes e em entrevistas com especialistas. Também foram ouvidos os frequentadores de ateneus e ativistas de cooperativas. Hoje os princípios do anarquismo se encontram nos ateneus, outrora núcleos de formação e hoje lugar de convivência e cultura, e nas cooperativas.

State Nationality and Religious Family Law: Some Notes

Most States are ‘secular’ States. Freedom of religion allows religious communities to organize themselves within the framework of the law of the State. In some other States organized religion has a dominant position enabling it to have a major impact on the law of the State. Private International Law (PIL) of secular States is characterized by a large extent of openness to the law of other States. The extrovert character is missing on the side of non-secular States. The difference should not pass unnoticed. Nationality loses attractiveness as a connecting factor in family law, though it persists as a pointer to the cultural frame of reference for many persons. In Western countries this development is enhanced by libertarian ideas on family law. In PIL a parallel development can be registered. The scope of conflicts of laws rules tends to lose effect on the recognition of acts and facts that are situated abroad. This new ‘method of recognition’ appears to have some effect on the case law of superior courts. The European Union has had to deal with recognition issues in the field of family law.

Cinema on Trial: Doctrine of Prior Restraint in Censorship

This paper sets to address the legal question of how the Censor Board can exercise such power and whether it represents the mood and approach of the government towards films and art forms in general, in India. What history tells us is quite contrary to what we're witnessing today. Our Constitution makers, while debating on the topic of freedom of speech and expression invoked libertarian philosophers like Isaiah Berlin and John Stuart Mill, and their philosophy did in fact, find its way into the said provision. The present scenario however, is one where we have departed from these libertarian ideas. What the censor board is doing today is trying to choke the marketplace of ideas at its source, which Gautam Bhatia calls 'prior restraint' in his new book Offend, Shock or Disturb. The paper tries to establish how the law of censorship, whenever rigid, has only suppressed thought and dissent, instead of allowing progressive and rational thinking. This is substantiated by analysing various case laws.

Deliberate One-sidedness as a Method of Doing Philosophy: Reflections on Rosemont’s View of the Person

As one of the most influential comparative philosophers of our time, Henry Rosemont, Jr. is known for his unrelenting criticisms against Western libertarian ideas, and for advocating ideas derived from classic Confucian thought. One of the criticisms against him is that his views are one-sided, and hence unfair to Western libertarian ideas. In this paper, I argue that Rosemont’s one-sidedness is deliberate. His theory is not intended to be a balanced account. I will illustrate that Rosemont’s way of conceiving the human self is not peculiar to him, but characteristic of those who take philosophy as a way of life, such as Mencius and Sartre. I shall argue that their practices suggest a gong-fu perspective, with which we evaluate philosophical theories according to their functions in shaping people’s behaviors and with consideration of the context of their uses.

Libertariańskie poglądy na policję i sądy w ujęciu Murraya Newtona Rothbarda

<p>W artykule zostały przedstawione propozycje Murraya Newtona Rothbarda – jednego z głównych przedstawicieli libertarianizmu – na temat policji i sądów, czyli służb, które przez wielu są uważane jako konieczne do utrzymywania porządku w ramach równie koniecznego – ich zdaniem – państwa. Jak wiadomo, państwo nie posiada własnych pieniędzy, oprócz tych, które przymusem odbiera obywatelom w postaci podatków. Rozwiązania Rothbarda mają za zadanie uniknąć przymusu zarówno po stronie korzystających z usług, jak i tych, którzy te usługi świadczą. Ze względu na charakter libertariańskich poglądów, które cechuje prostota i silny nacisk na element wolności, artykuł ten zawiera się w krótkiej formie i nie wskazuje konkretnych imperatywów działania.</p>

The art of the organiser: Raphael Samuel and the origins of the History Workshop

The History Workshop movement took its stance on the democratisation of history making, becoming notorious for its exuberant gatherings and impassioned ‘histories from below’. At the centre of the early Workshop was the British historian Raphael Samuel, who has been described as the personification of its intellectual and ethical politics. This paper examines Samuel’s role in the Workshop arguing that his distinctive intellectual personality was critical in shaping its early form and ethos. Drawing on a biographical approach, it explores the development of this persona over the course of his formative years. It argues that Samuel’s life history provides an insight into the renewed appeal of libertarian ideas in post-war British radical political and educational thought and that as an individual he illuminates the application of these ideas to the social role of the historian-educator.