Anarchists advocate for no hierarchy, no government. Libertarians want a government, but they want a very weak and limited government. Libertarians want a government that most always yields to the individual and their rights. Libertarians celebrate the individual and their freedom from government intrusion in their lives.
A nice rule of thumb way of remembering what libertarianism advocates is this: maximum individual freedom and minimum government intervention.
Some libertarians say that the government only has two basic roles to play in our lives.
1. The first role of government is to enforce contractual agreements between people. If we sign a contract and one of us breaks the contract, then the government should step in and determine who is at fault and what compensation needs to be paid and by whom.
2. The second role of government is to provide national defense -- the stress is on defensive capabilities, not offensive war-making capabilities. A country needs to be able to defend itself from other countries and dangerous actors in world politics, but a country doesn't need the capability to attack other countries and it doesn't need bases in other countries.
Outside of these two basic roles, people should be able to live their lives however they choose to live them and the government should stay out of their business. Individuals should have the freedom to do with their bodies and property whatever they want, as long as they don't go around harming other people or destroying other peoples' property.
What do you think? Should the government have more of a role in our lives than just enforcing contracts and providing for national defense? Or is the libertarian notion better -- that the government should only have two basic roles?
If the government was limited to enforcing contracts and providing for national defense, how would that change peoples' daily lives? What about public roads, public schools, public parks? Would those changes be for the better or worse?
Do you see any potential problems with giving people this much freedom?
Take a few minutes, look over the questions, and spend a few minutes responding to some of the queries.
While listening to the discussion in class today, several things came into my mind and my way of thinking was altered a little bit. I think the government has way to much power kin today's society. I agree with how libertarians think and the government should be controlled. There should not be police officers and people of the law snooping in everyone's business, They should be there though, for national security bad during times of a crisis. Take for example hurricane Katrina. There was so much disaster and the Red Cross and National Guard did what they could to help the nation as a whole. That was a problem we couldn't get out by ourselves. I agree as well with maintenance, such as public roads and highways to be fixed and maintained, because everyone knows they would all go to waste because no one would take care of them. I agree with libertarians on the fact that people should be free to do what they want with their bodies. For example, prostitution might be morally wrong, but if someone wants to sell their body then so be it. Instances like these should be controlled by the people instead of having government regulate everything that goes on in today's society,
ReplyDeleteSeth Myers PSCI 100.3
I think I am somewhere in between. We need more rights than we have right now. For example, people should be able to marry whoever they so please. However, I feel like a little more government should be involved than just the two reasons set up in the Libertarian ideal. The comment about public roads and parks threw me a bit because I hadn't thought about those things. If the government only involved itself to settle contract breaches and the prevention of harm, we wouldn't have government built and regulated roads, parks, museums, or monuments. However, that is not to say that we wouldn't have those roads, parks, museums, or monuments. They would just probably be built and regulated by some private businesses and/or companies. The private ones might not be as nice as the ones we are used to now because who knows how much money those privately operated businesses make, but we wouldn't be without it. I have personally come to love the museums and monuments in DC.
ReplyDeleteI agree and am somewhere in between as well. I am all for a lot less government intervention but the point about the public roads is a good one. The government should be in charge of public roads and the like, which expands beyond the 2 points. I would like to see the government out of my private affairs, however, I think that it is helpful for the government to have some power like maintaining our highway systems.
DeleteKevin Hagerty PSCI 100.02
DeleteI agree and for many of the monuments that you see they were in large part funded by groups of citizens. i.e. the wall, wwII memorial. I think you find that parks would be taken care of by those that use them. There was a good example of this during the last government shut down where the citizens stepped in and took care of things like moving and painting in the absense of government employees.
DeleteI agree with you on the idea of marriage and that there are some other rights that the government does not need to be dealing with. I do disagree with you on how much that we can rely on the private citizens to build things like roads and parks for people to use. They probably would have roads, airlines, bridges, and tunnels but they would tax people and the poorer people in our society could not afford it. I also appreciate some organizations like the FDA saying that our food must meet certain regulations. In addition, the department of education gives plenty of students to go to college that might not go otherwise. So I think government should have a big role in our lives.
DeleteI do believe she would be considerd dangerous today. She was an anarchist and a advocate for womens rights. If she were alive today she would most likely be assinated due to the increased public violence in our nation in the present. I do agree with alot of what she says but I believe some of her methods are too violent to be considered acts of anarchism.
ReplyDeleteI as well as Mary agree that i fall on the fence on this subject. Our rights are diminishing before our very eyes these days. Most people dont know that with the homeland security act we already lost most of our freedoms.I do agree with the 2nd act because we need to be organized and protect our country at all times.I have to agree I believe it better if the government wasnt "LEANING" on us citizens and gave us the freedom to do the things we need to get done. I believe it would cause alot less stess and stife in our country keeping us further away from the idea of civil war and revolution.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct they "Lean" on us and at the same time teach "Depend" on them. It's a ruthless cycle that if thought about deeply would drive a person insane. It is crazy that it even comes down to how we talk. Being that words that were spoken as little as 10 years ago are now deemed politicaly incorrect. The government even has the ability to make us second guess our selves when we think we are correct in our thinking. It's all by design, just a thought.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the government should have less of a role in our lives. However, unlike a hard libertarian, I believe it should be more than national defense and contract enforcement. It should also keep its role in the treasury department and social security. If we removed government control from the treasury department we could essentially end up with various different currencies throughout the nation. There would also be a void created at the downfall of the social security administration for those that have already paid into it. I do believe that in due time, with proper planning, that this role could be taken away from the government. I do agree that we do not need the government interfering with our daily lives and how we live them. I also feel that many things that are taken care of at the national level should be decided on at the state or local levels. If the government would switch to a libertarian style the hardest change for our society would be facing the realism that we need to “work” for ourselves and not rely on government programs to get us through or use as a crutch. There would be organizations who would step in to help whenever the need arose, however, these organizations would not be able to assist in the vast amount of welfare recipients currently in our national system. Other areas such as roads, schools, and parks would be taken care of on a local level. Even though in some areas homeschooling may become more prominent as well a rise in four-wheel drive vehicle sales as road upkeep declined. I would foresee an onset of problems on changing government at the onset. With “too much” freedom, the natural instinct of many would be to abuse it, but then eventually it would settle into place. It would take years though to achieve and get past the unrest and notion of taking care of ourselves. Much of our nation has become a “nanny state” dependent on the national government to take care of us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the libertarian notion, the government should be less involved in our lives. They are ruling the way people live today and I personally do not think that it is fair. As per what we talked about in class today, if a woman wants to sell her body out everyday, let her do it. It should not be illegal. She is making a decision on her own and if that's what she wants to do so be it. The government should not have to tell her or anybody what they can and can not do with their body. The question about the public roads and parks threw me off a little. I feel that if the government was only involved in those two ways, things would not get taken care of. People in general are lazy and we all know that if the government wouldn't help maintain these things it would never get done.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with the libertarian system, however I do not think that people could handle it. With little government we would all have to think, act, and do for ourselves. Most people are too lazy to do that. So not a whole lot would get done. there would be no public schools or parks because they wouldn't get maintained.Simple things that the government does gets overlooked, mowing the grass at the parks or painting the road lines to separate them. all that would be up to the person who owns it and they probably wouldn't care enough to do it.
ReplyDeleteThe Libertarian system seems to be a good type of government system. Its very simple and it doesn't seem that complex. On the other hand, I do not believe the U.S.A could be able to live off of the Libertarian system, due to all these complex laws we already have. All the laws and regulations we have now is to protect the society and keep it controlled without the U.S getting out of hand. Some people would not have a life because no one would be forcing them to get a public education. There is always that one person though that could not follow the Libertarian system and they would have to make some kind of law to keep people in check. If the United States ran under a Libertarian system, then our government would not be able to control the citizens.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of being a libertarian society sounds great. But i don't think that it would work all that well. All the public areas and events would suffer greatly in my opinion. I don't think people would care enough to get educated or even try to educate others. The roads would suffer from not being maintained or have proper street signs or speed limits. Not enough people would be willing to help their neighbors they'd be more concerned about helping themselves. People are too lazy to help to environment.
ReplyDeleteI believe the government has way too much power and control over us. There comes a point where a line need to be drawn and that line is nonexistent for our government. I don't think they should be able to violate our privacy by snoopy through our business reading and listening to our everyday conversations, unless there is a reasoning behind (probably cause). Therefore, I do somewhat believe in how the libertarians thinks. Government should be there to help us, not make everyone feel like they are doing something wrong with every step. The government should be there to apply the everyday laws but not go beyond and break their own laws. The government should provide national security, things for the public (public roads and highways, schooling, Etc.) I also agree with how libertarians feel that everyone should claim their body as theirs - not the government's property. Meaning that if you want to sell your body for money, so what..? Thats your choice, thats your body. If you get enjoyment from doing drugs, so be it. Who is the government to tell you what you can and cant do, as long as you are causing no harm to others.
ReplyDeleteKiana Miller PSCI 100.02
DeleteI do believe that the government should stay out of our lives and not dictate to us how we should live. Freedom of thought, speech, action, as long as they don't harm somebody else. That being said, the issue of a completely free market and private construction of roads, parks, etc. could be tricky. On the one hand, all of these things could drastically improve and be made better for everyone. On the other, it's basically common knowledge that those in charge of these things would eventually become too greedy (health insurance, anyone?) and the common people would most likely be the ones to suffer. For example, public transportation could vastly be improved if it was in the hands of a private industry, such as one owned by a wealthy individual like Donald Trump. However, people are only really concerned about making more money for themselves (especially Donald Trump...) and the charges/taxes for using public transportation would become so outrageous that barely anyone would be able to use it. This is just one example, and this is why I feel like the government probably needs a bigger role than just defense and contractual dilemmas.
ReplyDeleteNadean Kline PSCI 100.02
We should be free to make our own choices, but not having a government at all would turn our world into a disgusting place. Who would clean up the streets, parks and roadways? You think people will do this free of choice? Sure there may be some but not enough. The government needs to be able to take care of this world but stay out of our lives unless (like the libertarians believe) we harm someone else. An ye harm none do what ye will!
ReplyDeleteI agree, we need the help of the government but should be able to go as we please while having it. Leandra Rosencrance PSCI 100.03
DeleteWhile I do see a few problems with giving people a lot of freedom, I also think that people will use it correctly. While there are a lot of whack jobs out in the world, a majority of people will use common sense and determine for themselves what they need or don't need. If they want good roads, they will use their resources to make good roads. If they want a good education system, they will have a good education system. I personally agree that people should be given freedom and let people run with it.
ReplyDeleteDakota DiMagno
PSCI 100.03
I believe like you. I do not believe that the US could function on the libertarian system. Wish we could, but unfortunately, people are just to damn stupid to get along and act right.
DeleteI believe the libertarian way of thinking is definitely seems good but in all reality I feel like government should impose on some topics. I agree with the responses of Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch when they say that the government does enforce some very important policy's on things like assisted funds for schooling and pollution standards. I do not believe that they should be able to tell us what we can and cannot do if we are not harming some one else or their property. I'm not sure that our society would ever develop into a libertarian world for the simple reason that we are policed by our government, people do force their beliefs on you, and we are brainwashed into a close-minded state where all we do is fight over small things while the government simply carries out everything for us so we never even have to think about it. I think no matter how many freedoms people are given the world would not be any more chaotic than it is today.
ReplyDeleteI feel like there should be a lot less government in our lives. It seems that our government has gotten out of control in telling us what we can and cannot do. This is America, land of the free! But are we really free? We have the government trying to tell us that we can/cannot have guns. The government is dictating who can and cannot be married. The government tells women that they cannot get an abortion in some states. I say enough! I know that it will never happen, but people should be able to choose to do what they want, when they want “as long as they do not harm”. Sadly, we have to many dumb ass people who do not play well with others, so the idea of us all getting along and doing no harm will never be a reality. Our government is so corrupt and out of control now that I believe that things will only get worse, not better. It would be wonderful is we could live in a libertarian world, but it will never come to be.
ReplyDeleteI think the government should definitely have a smaller role in our lives in some aspects, but not all of them. I do not think there is a use for all of the security that our country focuses on its own people. Joe Schmoe is not going to be a terrorist, 99% or Americans do not intend to do any harm to our country. Our country spends way too much money on defense, this isn't the 1940's, there are no real threats to our defense. No large world power will attack us because of two simple words, nuclear war. I actually believe WW3 has not occurred because of the presence of nuclear warheads, it is a very real threat to each country. The contract idea is enticing. It would really work if everyone trusted each other. I don't believe humanity is capable of co-existing in that way. It would be much easier if the world/state was smaller. If Libertarians had their way, there would be no government funding for roads, schools, infrastructure. Our society would basically crumble away.
ReplyDeleteFrederick Filberg 100.03
I believe with the libertarian notion. The government should have only have two basic roles. If the government was limited then for the issue of national defense, there could be militias formed but not by a governing body. For public roads, schools, and parks every community could control how much money goes into spending on there own roads. These changes would be for the better. The only potential problem in giving people this much freedom is, some people cannot be trusted with freedom. They would take advantage of such freedom and could cause potential problems.
ReplyDelete(Callie Long PSCI 100.03)
Very well said!
DeleteI believe that the libertarian ideal is almost the same way I feel about an anarchist idea. It is almost too perfect. Right now our society has become way to adapted to the government spoon feeding us with almost everything, that we have almost become blind to some of the thing the government has power over nowadays. Thus, we could not change our society so easily because too many rely on the government. The poor would be in an uproar because of no more government aid. The middle class and up would be too because of their benefits being taken away. I do believe that governments main actions should be basically protection of written, of self, and of items. However, some people rely on the government for basic things to live, so it would have to be eased into our society. However, it is doable but I believe some would take the power out of hand.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion on libertarianism is that it is a better version of anarchism. I agree with most ideas of anarchism but the main point that I disagree with is that if there is no authority whatsoever people will take advantage of that. This being said I find that libertarianism is a much better alternative. I think there should be a government to enforce necessary laws but it should not enforce things to a point where privacy is invaded. I strongly believe that people should have the right to do whatever they want as long as it does not harm others and this is the main principle of libertarianism.
ReplyDelete(Alexandra Witt)
I think that government should have control on gun right and laws. Even in defense you do not need a gun because when you are defending you are protecting yourself from harm. If guns are legalized than the government should control who gets them, the quantity, and the taxation of ammunition. Psychological and health tests should also be required. It should also be enforced that weapons are only allowed with in the residence of the owner, anything else is concealed. I feel like having a weapon takes away the rights of others and endangers them.
ReplyDeleteSo government should have a hand in defense and gun control. Contracts between people , companies and businesses should be enforced by those who are part of the contract rather than a government.
(Elizabeth Camp, PSCI 100-02
I believe that liertatrian view is better because the government is to involved right now. This would mean that they would provide service such as public roads and welfare. But this will also mean that the community would pull together to provide or take care of such things.
ReplyDeleteI believe the government should be in more control than just enforcing contracts and providing national defense. We need the government for everyday necessities like mail, public roads, and public schools. I think if we limited the government to only two roles it would hurt are country. I don't not think the United States could survive on the Libertarian idea alone. I do think giving people so much power could potentially be a bad thing. I think we do need some government to put up restrictions. However, I don't think the government needs to get into marriage and other personal things like what you do to your body.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the notion of libertarianism. The idea of the government now seems crazy and overpowering. The idea of anarchy also seems hopeless because people will always have the nature to create conflict and want more for themselves. So with this libertarians actually seem quite logical. Minimum government and maximum individual freedom. We need some order to keep society from creating uncontrolable conflict but too much would make us actually question our true freedom. Are we free now? Would we ever be ?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion a libertarian nation will never work, because you need more than two roles to keep a country going and not causing a total free for all. Yes, those two roles will still stand but there will be many others to keep order and have/keep public roads, schools, parks, and etc. going. We have way to big of a population these days to live a libertarian lifestyle. Everyone that I know goes better throughout there day with a planned schedule, with time and places to be. If we just had people enforcing contracts and defending national defense, then people would just work around the roles. Like making a deal with no contract and that way they don’t have to go through with it because there is no one to enforce it and people screw other people over right and left these days. What about the crime rate it would possible go sky high to or it could level out but these things are in the air but with today’s scary society I would not risk it to find out.
ReplyDeleteI feel like it would be hard to have government but limit it to so little. Like with an anarchist form of government they have absolutely no interference, so in the libertarians case I feel the government would get power hungry (as they are today) and always would want more and more control of the country.
ReplyDeleteI believe that government should have a bigger role than just contracts and national defense as I believe we would struggle making decisions without a stronger government. This would make peoples lives worse. I mean your saving money on taxes but in the end you are going to have to spend a lot more money as for things like public roads will be no such thing and they will all be private. This would just cause problems. I mean the way things are now are not the best but probably better than it would be with a powerless government. (Dustin Wilt PSCI:100:03)
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