The Routledge Companion to Libertarianism (Routledge International Handbooks)

Have you ever wondered what libertarians think about vaccine mandates? About gun control? About racial and sexual inequalities? While libertarianism is well known as a political theory relating to the scope and justification of state authority, the breadth and depth of libertarian work on a wide range of other topics in social and political philosophy is less well known. This handbook is the first definitive reference on libertarianism that offers an in-depth survey of the central ideas from across philosophy, politics, and economics, including applications to contemporary policy issues. The forty chapters in this work provide an encyclopedic overview of libertarian scholarship, from foundational debates about natural rights theories vs. utilitarian approaches, to policy debates over immigration, punishment and policing, and intellectual property. Each chapter presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of historical and contemporary libertarian thought on its subject, and thus serves as an essential guide to current scholarship, and a starting place for discovering future lines of research. The book also contains a section on criticisms of libertarianism, written by leading scholars from the feminist, republican, socialist, and conservative perspectives, as well as a section on how libertarian political theory relates to various schools of economic thought, such as the Chicago, Austrian, Bloomington, and Public Choice schools. This book is an essential and comprehensive guide for anyone interested in libertarianism, whether sympathizer or critic. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction What Does It Mean to Be a Libertarian? Notes Part I Foundations 1 Natural Rights Introduction The Abiding Structure of the Grounding Argument for Natural Rights Hugo Grotius at the Birth of Modern Natural Rights Locke On the Natural Right to Liberty Natural Rights in Lysander Spooner’s Radical Lockeanism Ayn Rand On Rights as the Egoist’s Best Strategy Natural Rights in Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia Conclusion Notes References 2 Freedom Introduction Indirect Arguments Direct Arguments: Libertarian Utopia Rights, Freedom and Their Distribution The Value of Freedom Conclusion Notes References 3 Welfare Welfare Welfarist Arguments for Libertarianism Welfarism and Rights Public Goods Poverty Paternalism Notes References 4 Contractarianism What Is Contractarianism? Contractarianism and Libertarianism Why Contractarianism? Rights Vs. Consequentialism Political Libertarianism Libertarianism and Democracy Anarchism Conclusion Notes References 5 Virtue Ethics Introduction Moral Virtue Flourishing as the Most Robust Foundation for Rights Virtue Ethics and Equality of Authority Virtue Ethics and Principled Moderation Virtue and Free Markets Conclusion Notes References 6 Objectivism Objectivity Morality and the Objectivity of Values The Trader Principle and the Harmony of Interests Among Objective Valuers The Intolerable Evil of the Initiation of Force and the Objectivity of Individual Rights Government and the Objective Control of Retaliatory Force Notes References Part II Key Concepts 7 Self-Ownership Ownership and Self-Ownership Permissions, Not Things Micro and Macro Reciprocity Protections of Ownership Owning Your Labor Possession, Use, Disposition The Justificatory Burden of Takings Self-Ownership and Other Rights Owning Oneself and Owning Things Self-Ownership and Rights Self-Ownership and Libertarianism Notes References 8 Property Rights Self-Ownership The Analysis of Property Rights Locke On Appropriation Hume’s Conventionalist Theory Property and Distributive Justice Critiques of Property Rights Notes References 9 Liberty Introduction The Basic Concept The Value of Liberty The Priority of Liberty Conclusion Notes References 10 Force and Coercion Introduction Force Coercion The State Property Exchange Equality Conclusion Notes References 11 Political Legitimacy and Authority Clarifying the Concepts Authority Is the Power to Create (Grounds Of) Obligation Practical Vs. Epistemic Authority The Scope and Range of Government Theories of Legitimacy and Authority Rand and Minarchism Nozick On Legitimacy and Authority Huemer’s General Challenge to Statist Theories Public Goods, Common Pool Resources, and Social Order Brennan On the Right to Resist Conclusion References Part III Institutional Regimes 12 Anarchism Classical Liberal Forerunners From Molinari to the American Individualists The Revival Nozick and Networks Left and Right: The Prospects for Anarchy Notes References 13 Minimal Statism Introduction Historical Background The Minimal State of Ludwig Von Mises The Minimal State of Ayn Rand Robert Nozick’s Minimal State Eric Mack’s Taxation Minimal State Conclusion Notes References 14 Classical Liberalism References 15 Left Libertarianism Introduction Rights Foundational Rights Scope of Libertarian Rights and State Authority Free Markets, Exploitation and Historical Injustice An Unresolved Issue Conclusion Notes References Part IV Social Issues 16 Race Introduction Race: A Basic Definition Race and Libertarianism: Basic Insights Racism Is Irrational Abolishing State-Based Racism Racists Also Have Rights Markets and Race The State and Race Contemporary Policy Issues Mass Incarceration and Police Affirmative Action and Education Immigration Policy Reparations An Integrated Theoretical Libertarian Framework for Understanding Race Racism Among Libertarian Intellectuals Race and the Libertarian Vision Future Thoughts Note References 17 Sexual Ethics Introduction A Libertarian Framework Epistemics Costs and Consequences For Liberty and Against Coercion Assembling the Framework Libertarianism and the Decriminalization of Homosexuality The Straightforward Argument Marriage Equality The Ubiquity of Persecution Against the Therapeutic State Other Sex-Related Policies Sex-Work Personal Risks and Non-Coercive Approaches Social and Personal Ethics Social Morality Personal Restraint and Interpersonal Persuasion Notes References 18 Sex and Gender Introduction Liberty and Equality Marriage: From Status to Contract Women and Work Gender, Policy, and Culture Why So Little By Libertarians On Sex and Gender? Notes References 19 Class Introduction: Two Different Traditions of Thinking About Class Some Common Threads Within the CL Tradition The Central Role Played By State Coercion The Antagonistic Relationship Between These Two Classes The Idea of Class Struggle The Conquering Class Vs. the Conquered Class The Class of Slave Owners Vs. the Class of Slaves The Class of Taxpayers Vs. the Class of Tax-Consumers The Idea of “Class Struggle” Through History The Evolution of Societies Through Stages Murray Rothbard and the Rediscovery of CLCA Conclusion Some Recent Work By Libertarians Related Work By Others Areas for Further Research The History of Ideas Developing the Theory of CLCA Applying CLCA to the Study of History Applying CLCA to the Study of Contemporary Politics References Part V Domestic Policy Issues 20 The Welfare State Introduction What Libertarians Don’t Believe About Welfare Moral Arguments Against the Welfare State Libertarians for the Welfare State Classical Liberal Arguments Strict Libertarian Arguments Conclusion Notes References 21 Guns and Self-Defense The Issue The Right of Self-Defense Self-Defense Arguments for a Right to Arms Restrictionist Responses Assessing These Restrictionist Responses Derivative Rights Conclusion References 22 Children and the Family Introduction Marriage Benefits of Contract Marriage Complexities and Controversies Consent, Contracts, and Controversies Marriage Contracts in Practice Criticisms of the Libertarian Approach Children Reproductive Freedom Locke, Individuals, Community Stewardship Or Propertarianism, Not Best Interests Society and Schooling Consent and Other Issues Conclusion Notes References 23 Public Health and Health Care Policy Clinical Ethics Health Care Policy Public Health Markets and Regulations Innovation and Enhancement Conclusion Notes References 24 Policing and Punishment The Scope of the Criminal Law Enforcing Law The Provision of Policing: Public Or Private? Enforcement Strategies Reform and Abolition Punishing Crime Mass Incarceration and the Provision of Punishment Justifications and Methods of Punishment When the Fallible Criminal Justice System Fails Discretionary Non-Enforcement? Paying for Punishment? Redistribution and Criminal Justice Notes References 25 Taxation Is Any Taxation Justified? Minimal State Libertarianism and Its Variants Protective Services Redistribution Rectification Classical Liberalism Public Goods Redistribution Does Libertarianism Justify a Progressive Income Tax? The Rate Structure Tax Expenditures Consumption Taxes Land-Value Taxes Conclusion References Part VI Global Policy Issues 26 Colonialism and Territorial Rights Introduction Early Modern Acquisition Theories Contemporary Individualist Lockean Accounts Contemporary Collectivist Lockean Accounts Conclusion: Libertarianism and Colonialism Notes References 27 Immigration Capitalistic Acts Between Consenting Adults The Interests of Citizens The Question of Culture Freedom of Association Inequality and Non-Ideal Theory The New Economics of Immigration Conclusion Note References 28 Rectification and Historic Injustice Introduction Historical Libertarians On Historic Injustice Libertarianism and the Past, Today Boonin’s Compensation Argument The Boxill-Sher-Cohen Argument Inheritance Arguments Libertarian Reasons for Skepticism About Reparations Where Libertarians Stand On Land Principles of Property Vs. Actually-Existing Property The Poisoning Problem The Future of the Past Notes References 29 War and Humanitarian Intervention The Prohibition On Initiating Force The Prohibition of Harming Innocents War and Freedom Conscription, Mercenaries, and Filibusters The Epistemic Objection to War War and the Growth of the State Libertarians and Wars of Secession Conclusion Notes References 30 Environmental Issues The Bubble Model Permeable Bubbles Evidentiary Challenges Biting the Bullet Reasonable Use and Enjoyment Allocating Access Turning to the State Beyond Rights Violations Conflicting Commitments Conclusion Notes References 31 Intellectual Property What Is IP? Historical Sources and the Legal Status of IP The Case for IP The Case Against IP Conclusion Notes References Part VII Libertarianism and Economic Thought 32 Libertarianism and the Chicago School of Economics Chicago School Phase I (1930s and 1940s): Frank Knight Chicago School Phase 2 (1950s to 1970s): Milton Friedman Chicago School Phase 3 (Gary Becker) Conclusion References 33 Libertarianism and the Austrian School of Economics Carl Menger and the Origins of the Austrian School Outline The Evolution of the Austrian School and the Development of Modern Economic Theory 1870–1900: Methodological Battles and Controversies 1870–1930: A Flourishing of Austrian Scholarship 1930–1960: The Rise of Formalism, Empiricism, and Aggregation An Austrian Refocus: Institutions Matter The Migration of Austrian Economics to the United States Conclusion Notes References 34 Libertarianism and Public Choice Government Failure Social Choice Information Collective Action Bureaucratic Control Rent-Seeking Constitutional Political Economy Consent as an Authorization of Coercion The Status Quo and Relatively Absolute Absolutes Exit Libertarianism and Public Choice Notes References 35 Libertarianism and the Bloomington School The Science and Art of Free Association The Bloomington School of Institutional Analysis Self-Governance, Democracy, and Polycentric Systems Multiple Methods and Institutional Design Conclusion Notes References Part VIII Critiques of Libertarianism 36 Feminist Critiques Self-Ownership and Individual Rights The Public/Private Split Freedom and Coercion Equality Power Conclusion References 37 Liberal Egalitarian Critiques Criticisms of Hard Libertarianism Criticisms of Soft Libertarianism Conclusion Notes References 38 Conservative Critiques Introduction Conservatism Conservative Starting Points Pessimism About Human Nature Skepticism About Human Reason Conservative Themes Order Freedom Community Tradition Property Libertarianism Libertarian Starting Points Libertarian Themes Individual Rights Private Property Free Markets Minarchism Or Anarchism Uneasy Cousins Commonalities Rejection of an Intrusive State Support for Free Markets and Private Property Rejection of Equalizing Criticisms Individualism Primacy of Freedom Rationalism Conclusion Notes References 39 Marxist Critiques Introduction External Freedom, Or, Do Workers Do What They Do Freely? Libertarianism On External Freedom Voluntary Exchange and Involuntary Servitude Class Domination and Alienation of Control Exploitation as Impersonal Domination Inner Freedom Or Serving Alien Purposes Alien Purposes of Work: The Needs of Others Alien Purposes at Work: The Boss’s Commands Alien Purposes for Work: Submission to Impersonal Forces Political Freedom Vs. the Capitalist State? Capitalism As/and Despotism Libertarianism as a Theoretical Expression of Capitalist Authoritarianism Conclusion Notes References 40 Republican Critiques What Is Republicanism? Corruption Private Power Accountability Two Faces of Freedom? References Index "Have you ever wondered what libertarians think about vaccine mandates? About gun control? About racial and sexual inequalities? While libertarianism is well-known as a political theory relating to the scope and justification of state authority, the breadth and depth of libertarian work on a wide range of other topics in social and political philosophy is less well-known. This handbook is the first definitive reference on libertarianism that offers an in-depth survey of the central ideas from across philosophy, politics and economics, including applications to contemporary policy issues. The forty essays in this work provide an encyclopaedic overview of libertarian scholarship, from foundational debates about natural rights theories vs. utilitarian approaches, to policy debates over immigration, punishment and policing, and intellectual property. Each essay presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of historical and contemporary libertarian thought on its subject, and thus serves as an essential guide to current scholarship, and a starting place for discovering future lines of research. The book also contains a section on criticisms of libertarianism, written by leading scholars from the feminist, republican, socialist, and conservative perspectives, as well as a section on how libertarian political theory relates to various schools of economic thought such as the Chicago, Austrian, Bloomington, and Public Choice schools. This book is an essential and comprehensive guide for anyone interested in libertarianism, whether sympathiser or critic. Matt Zwolinksi is Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Diego, USA, and Director of USD's Center for Ethics, Economics, and Public Policy. Benjamin Ferguson is an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, UK, and Director of their program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics"-- Provided by publisher