Why this Blog

At first I thought that perhaps this blog would be unnecessary. There are a lot of fine blogs and websites out there discussing the issues of Individual Liberty and the principles underlying being Libertarian. However, a deeper understanding of the philosophical ideas underpinning the concept of Liberty often doesn’t appear to be well delineated, defined and understood by general populace. Consequently a great many people wrongly attribute ideas, concepts and policies to it which are not warranted and do not actually derive from it.

This building of “straw man” arguments against Libertarianism due to this lack of clear definition, creating an at times intentional misunderstanding of what it entails, represents some of the most common arguments and outright challenges that must overcome. The opposition to Liberty is continual, often subtle and relentless in its abundance of disingenuous arguments. It is only by clearly elucidating what the Libertarian principles in fact consist of can these arguments be defeated.

The Flash program, “The Philosophy of Liberty” is about the finest primer available clearly outlining the meaning, universal applicability and value of the concept of Individual Liberty but since it is, by necessity of its brevity, somewhat rudimentary, it seems many people feel free (!) to dispute both its premise and it implications. This leads me to conclude that further exposition on the founding premises, meaning and ramifications of the concept are warranted.

Part of the problem is that many, if not most, Libertarians focus more intently upon everyday issues than philosophy. This is not to say this is not as it should be. But while often educated and highly conversant on the subject of Libertarian philosophy when pressed, many don’t often see the importance of communicating the underlying fundamentals when speaking to people unfamiliar with them. For this reason Libertarian Ideals and Principles are all-too-often mischaracterized and/or rejected by virtue of a less than full understanding of all they encompass. This becomes a misfortune for the party, for those that love Liberty and for our nation as a whole.

Clearly and concisely communicating the primary, fundamental, inherent and self-evident concepts underlying the concept of Individual Liberty is crucial to making the case for its application politically. If someone wrongly fails to discern the difference between anarchy and Libertarianism, for example, then the case is lost before it is ever made. At the same time the arguments cannot become too complicated or the person will be lost long before he or she ever becomes convinced. Sadly this is all too often the case.

Fully understanding the concept of self-ownership as it translates into everyday life and the advocacy of Individual Liberty, and how this in turn plays into the meaning of the concept of Individual Rights, is no easy accomplishment. If it were, it would be more common, more universally understood and accepted. Yet educating our fellow citizens to achieve such an understanding is the task we must not fail in if we are to save this nation by returning it to the fulfillment of its original purpose: The promise of Individual Liberty.

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Before posting this I need to note I spent several days Googling “Libertarian Philosophers” and “Libertarian Philosophy” and the like to make sure I wasn’t re-inventing the wheel. There is a lot of information out there in this area for the diligent researcher but my specialty is restating subjects in a language more accessible to the layman not familiar with given issues. I hope that I will be able to do this in the posts to come. Notwithstanding the fact that this isn’t really the way this has started out.