Objectivists, Libertarians, and Freedom

Today’s Objectivists and libertarians are poor advocates for political liberty. They have all the truth in the world on their side – but they still lose pretty much every political argument. The world at large does not come to them for answers.

Objectivists and libertarians lose the debate because they rarely employ principles or argue essentials. Thus they have a hard time cutting to the chase or getting to the point – assuming they even know it. When it comes to publicly discussing the nature and role of government, Objectivists and libertarians focus on side-issues and trivia.

Rather than using their strongest weapon, and arguing the moral case for political liberty, they almost always argue the practical one. This strategy implies that virtue and idealism are on the other side, and thus undercuts them drastically.

Part of the reason Objectivists and libertarians shun moral discussion, and the righteousness of individual liberty, is they’re generally uncomfortable with philosophy and abstract theory. Hence their claims are mostly devoid of intellectual rigor. They try to substitute for this with sarcasm, personal bitterness, and insults to their opponents. But serious political thinkers are not impressed.

Probably the biggest reason Objectivists and libertarians can’t get across the idea that freedom is 100% good in theory and 100% good in practice – other than that they never mention it – is because they hate being hated. They quietly know how radical they are, and how much people are initially shocked and appalled at their theories, and so they assiduously avoid stating them openly or clearly.

Objectivist and libertarian revolutionaries understand how much the current political world is dominated by right-wing conservatives and left-wing progressives – and how much these two ideologies revile genuine liberty, justice, capitalism, libertarianism, laissez-faire, and individual rights. Hence they avoid mentioning them. Objectivists and libertarians can ramble on in their inept arguments for a thousand words without once mentioning them. To most people, especially the Objectivists and libertarians themselves, it seems like such a thing isn’t possible. But the next time you get half a chance – go take a look!

Far the most common technique the Objectivists and libertarians employ, to gain popular acceptance and avoid public loathing, is to disguise themselves as conservatives. They argue – and even dress and look – just like them. They even force themselves to think like them. The end result of all this dishonesty and cowardice is that nowadays the Objectivists and libertarians very much are conservatives, They’re widely and properly known as “people of the right” and (in American terms) as supporters of the Republicans.

All this is just too sad and pitiful for words.

What needs to happen, if the Objectivists and libertarians ever want to win this intellectual battle and convince anyone of quality, is they need to finally start telling the truth. They need to clearly and emphatically admit that they reject conservatism and the Republicans – not just progressivism and the Democrats. They need to publicly confess that they favor complete freedom for every individual and that thus they entirely oppose all government intervention, interference, and force-initiation in human life whatsoever.

Objectivists and libertarians need to loudly, proudly, defiantly say: We reject all vice laws, labor laws, professional licenses, and business permits. We reject all government charity and redistribution of wealth. We oppose all government streets, schools, parks, banks, and money. We oppose and reject all personal, social, and economic regulation whatsoever.

Moreover, we Objectivists and libertarians think people have no right to healthcare, education, housing – or even food and a “living wage”. These are great values to human life, but the free individual alone has the right and duty to seek them, and he by himself can find them at far higher quality and far lower price than with government “help” and as a “right”.

Objectivists and libertarians should flatly state that government only exists to protect people and property. Hence the only legitimate government organizations are the police, military, courts, jails, and a tiny overseeing administration. Moreover they should state that taxation is theft, and thus the tiny amount of money needed to fund the government should be entirely voluntary and contractual.

Of course, the politically-pitiful Objectivists and libertarians can’t really say the stuff above if they don’t understand and believe it. And that’s the point. They don’t.

So, in simple terms, why are the Objectivists and libertarians so terrible when it comes to advocating political liberty?

First, they’re wildly incompetent. Next, they’re profoundly dishonest. Finally, they’re extremely cowardly.

So the current prospects for political liberty on this planet are poor. With friends of freedom like the Objectivists and libertarians, who needs enemies?