Not every one fits into the Conservative/Liberal mold. There are many thinking people who consider themselves Libertarians. But many people also think of Libertarians as being on the right side of the Left/Right scale. I have been made aware, by Prof. Rockwell, one of my mentors at Sonoma State University, that Libertarians can also come in left/right flavors. Here is a link to a great paper, written by Dr. Teed Rockwell, Stakeholding and Safety Nets, which is a left-libertarian's response to the philosophy of Robert Nozick.
http://sonoma.academia.edu/TeedRockwell/Papers/1193142/Stakeholding_and_Safety_Nets
BTW, Dr. Rockwell is the one who introduced me to the philosophy of Dr. Jeremy Sherman, whose link you can find if you scroll down to my post of Jan. 24, 2012.
Hi Ostin, Thanks for the Kind words.
ReplyDeleteThis Wednesday, October 30th, from 2:00 to 3:30 I will be giving a talk in
the Cooperage titled "Stakeholders and Safety nets: A Critique of
Libertarianism". The talk is sponsored by the SSU Philosophy Club and the
Center for Ethics Law and Society. Admission is free, and there will be
discussion afterwards.
Now that major politicians and businesspeople are requiring their employees
to read "Atlas Shrugged", Libertarianism has become a meme that is
impossible to avoid. I've spent many years sifting through its many
falsehoods and confusions to find the few insights that I believe are
worthwhile. If you have students who defend Libertarian principles in class,
I think you will find it useful to learn about some of the distinctions I've
discovered. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as "Left
Libertarianism", and I think it is one of the most important developments in
political thought.
Hope to see you there.
Teed Rockwell