Tom Luongo is a former chemist who now comments on matters surrounding thinking freely and living freely.
Libertarianism is a political philosophy that emphasises individual liberty, limited government intervention and free markets.
For a long time, I considered myself a libertarian, but not anymore. It’s not that I disagree with libertarianism, but my outlook has become more mature and nuanced.
Libertarianism
At its core, libertarianism champions the idea that individuals should have the freedom to live their lives as they choose, as long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others.
A non-aggression policy, if you will.
It advocates a minimal role of government, focusing primarily on protecting individual rights and enforcing contracts.
In other words, self-ownership and individual autonomy.
It’s about having the right to make decisions about your own body, property and economic activity without interference from the government or others. It champions voluntary interactions and fiercely opposes any form of coercion or involuntary action.
This is where I’ve found libertarians to have a blind spot.
They almost always argue that a woman has the right to abort her baby because her body is her own property and nobody has the right to interfere. But a baby is not her body—it’s a separate being with its own genetic makeup.
Furthermore, abortion is undoubtedly aggressive behaviour towards the baby.
No collectivism
Friedrich Hayek was an Austrian-British economist and philosopher, whose work focused on the importance of decentralised decision-making and the limitations of central planning.
His book The Road to Serfdom warned against the dangers of collectivism and government control.
It’s a very good read, both quick and easy to get through.
Collectivism is an ideology that prioritises the group or community over individual rights, autonomy and freedoms.
Basically:
- suppression of individual liberty,
- lack of incentives for innovation and productivity,
- limited diversity and creativity,
- potential for tyranny,
- lack of personal responsibility and
- social uniformity.
In other words, thinking freely and living freely are the enemy of collectivism.
Conversation
Tom argues that, when individuals have the freedom to make choices and pursue their own goals according to their values and desires, it leads to a greater sense of fulfillment, well-being and creativity.
The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.
Ayn Rand
