Manifesto for a New Libertarianism: A Pragmatic Approach

In the spirit of Milton Friedman, a stalwart of economic freedom and a guiding light for libertarians worldwide, we articulate a manifesto for a modern, moderate libertarianism. This manifesto seeks not just to champion the cause of individual liberty and free markets, but to do so in a manner that acknowledges the complexities of reality. This requires a candid regard for modern society and the indispensable role of a limited but effective government. We aim to delineate pragmatic libertarianism, focused on achievable reforms, and committed to a society where principles and pragmatics work together to advance our cause.

“Tyranny is the political corollary of socialism, as representative government is the political corollary of the market economy.” -Ludwig von Mises

Principles of Pragmatic Libertarianism

1. The Primacy of Individual Freedom: At the heart of libertarianism lies the unshakeable belief in individual freedom as the paramount value. Every individual should have the maximum freedom to pursue their happiness, provided they do not infringe upon the rights of others. This principle guides our stance on economic policies, civil liberties, and personal autonomy.

2. The Necessity of Limited Government Intervention: Government has a role, albeit a limited one, in ensuring the smooth functioning of society. It should protect individuals from aggression, theft, breach of contract, and fraud. Beyond these basic functions, its intervention in the lives of citizens and the economy should be minimized. Government should be a referee, not a player in the market.

3. Free Markets and Economic Opportunity: The free market, guided by the invisible hand of supply and demand, is the most efficient and just method of distributing resources. It encourages innovation, rewards efficiency, and leads to economic growth. Regulations should be minimal and designed only to promote innovation that will prevent unfair practices and reduce coercive monopolistic powers, ensuring a level playing field for all.

4. Fiscal Responsibility: Government should live within its means, which necessitates a balanced budget, minimal public debt, and a taxation system that is fair, simple, and minimally intrusive. Economic policies should focus on empowering individuals through lower taxes and providing them the freedom to choose where their money goes.

5. Social Tolerance: A free society is one that is tolerant of diverse lifestyles, cultures, and ideas. The state should not impose moral standards on individuals but rather protect their rights to live as they choose, provided they do not harm others. This extends to issues like drug use, sexual orientation, and freedom of expression.

6. Rule of Law: A predictable and transparent legal framework is essential for a free society. Laws should be clear, public, and applied equally to all individuals. The judicial system must be independent and focused on the protection of individual rights and property.

Our vision of libertarianism acknowledges the necessity of a government that is strong enough to protect rights but restrained enough to allow freedom to flourish. In this document, we propose a pragmatic libertarianism that seeks the optimal interplay between reality and reason. We hope that the reader will come to understand that principles and pragmatics are not opposing forces, they are mutually reinforcing and lead to a society set free in our lifetime.

The remainder of this document elaborates on these concepts, and is organized as follows:

• Advantages and Limitations of Anarchy
• The Primacy of Individual Freedom
• The Necessity of Limited Government Intervention
• Free Markets and Economic Opportunity
• Fiscal Responsibility
• Social Tolerance
• Rule of Law
• Pragmatic Libertarian Policy Priorities
• In Conclusion

Advantages and Limitations of Anarchy

Anarchy, often misunderstood, presents several theoretical benefits to individual liberties, especially when viewed from a perspective that values autonomy and skepticism of centralized authority. Here are some key benefits:

Maximization of Personal Freedom

• Autonomy and Self-Governance: Anarchy promotes the idea that individuals are best suited to govern themselves, free from the coercive powers of the state. This maximizes personal freedom by allowing individuals to make decisions about their lives without external interference.
• Voluntary Associations: In an anarchist society, all interactions and associations are voluntary, stemming from mutual consent rather than imposed obligations. This ensures that individual liberties are respected and that people engage in communities and activities that reflect their values and preferences.

Reduction of Coercive Power

• Elimination of State Coercion: Anarchy inherently rejects the centralized, often coercive power of the state, which can impose laws and regulations that limit individual freedoms. By removing such structures, individuals are not subject to arbitrary authority.
• Decentralization: Anarchist principles favor decentralized forms of organization, which distribute power among smaller, localized groups rather than centralizing it in a single, potentially oppressive entity. This can protect individuals from widespread abuses of power.

Encouragement of Mutual Aid

• Community and Solidarity: Anarchy encourages the formation of communities based on mutual aid and solidarity, where individuals freely cooperate to meet common needs. This fosters a sense of belonging and support without the need for hierarchical structures.
• Empowerment through Cooperation: By prioritizing cooperative over competitive interactions, anarchy can empower individuals and communities to achieve their goals through collective action, enhancing their liberties in the process.

Stimulus for Innovation and Diversity

• Freedom to Innovate: With no central authority imposing norms or standards, anarchy allows for greater experimentation and innovation in social, economic, and technological realms. Individuals and communities can try new ways of living and organizing that better suit their needs and desires.
• Cultural and Ideological Diversity: An anarchist framework accepts and encourages diversity, enabling a plurality of cultures, lifestyles, and ideas to coexist. This diversity enriches individual experience and allows people to live in accordance with their unique identities and beliefs.

Challenges to Implementation

Though the theoretical benefits to individual liberties under anarchy are significant, practical challenges to its implementation exist. These include ensuring protection against aggression, resolving disputes without a centralized legal system, and coordinating collective action for public goods. Despite these concerns, the pragmatic libertarian encourages the exploration of anarchist principles to find valuable insights into ways of maximizing freedom and minimizing coercion in society. To do this, we must first recognize the practical limitations of an anarchic model.

While anarchy theoretically offers numerous benefits to individual liberties by eliminating state coercion and promoting autonomy, it also presents several practical threats to those same liberties. Here are some key concerns:

1. Potential for Chaos and Instability

Anarchy might not eliminate power structures but rather make them more fluid and unpredictable. New power centers could emerge and dissolve rapidly, leading to instability that threatens individual liberties.

The absence of a predictable legal and social order could lead to a state of constant uncertainty and insecurity, undermining the ability of individuals to plan for the future and exercise their liberties fully.

The fear of this is so popularized and deep that it is a common horror movie theme. Given this popular trope, it seems most people are not comfortable with the level of ambiguity they believe anarchy would bring.

Many individuals feel more threatened by chaos and instability than the coercive powers of the state. Whether real or imaginary, the fear of chaos and instability strongly motivates behavior. We see evidence of this in times of insecurity, when a large portion of the population welcomes authoritarian rule. Any success in achieving a dramatic shift to widespread uncertainty and instability would almost certainly precipitate a popular shift toward authoritarianism.

This is an intrinsic danger to the practical viability of anarcho-libertarianism.

2. Risk of Power Vacuums and Lack of Protection from Aggression

• Emergence of New Power Structures: The absence of a formal government can lead to power vacuums, where powerful individuals or groups attempt to assert control, possibly leading to the rise of de facto authorities that may not respect individual liberties.

• Mob Rule: Without established laws and enforcement, majority groups could impose their will on minorities, leading to oppression and a breakdown of individual rights. This mob rule can replace state coercion with coercion by powerful societal factions.

• No Centralized Law Enforcement: Without a centralized authority to enforce laws, individuals may have no protection against aggression, theft, or violation of their rights by others. This could lead to a might-makes-right scenario, where only the strongest or most violent individuals can secure their liberties.
• Vulnerability to Private Coercion: In the absence of state power, there is a risk that private entities or individuals could form de facto power structures that impose their will on others, creating new forms of coercion and undermining the principle of voluntary association.

3. Challenges in Dispute Resolution

• Absence of Legal Frameworks: Without universally recognized legal frameworks and institutions to adjudicate disputes, resolving conflicts could become highly problematic, potentially leading to endless feuds or vigilante justice.
• Inequity in Justice: The lack of a standardized legal system may result in justice being unevenly applied, with outcomes depending more on individual or community power dynamics than on impartial principles of fairness.

4. Difficulty in Providing Public Goods

• Free Rider Problem: Anarchy might struggle with the provision of public goods (e.g., roads, defense, environmental protection) since there’s no mechanism to compel contribution to these goods, leading to under-provision and neglect.
• Infrastructure and Safety Nets: Essential services such as healthcare, education, and social safety nets that would arise through private payers, and/or individual or corporate philanthropy, could suffer without a coordinating authority. This may leave the most vulnerable members of society without life-sustaining support. In practice, stories of instances that highlight this vulnerability to anarchy would almost undoubtedly be a part of authoritarian attempts to stoke fears.

5. Economic Vulnerabilities

• Market Failures: Without regulatory oversight, markets could become dominated by cartels, restricting economic freedom and access to goods and services.
• Property Rights Enforcement: Protecting property rights without a state poses significant challenges, potentially leading to disputes over ownership and usage that could escalate into violence.

6. Social Fragmentation, Division, and Isolation: The lack of a unifying authority could lead to social fragmentation, with communities becoming insular and possibly hostile to outsiders, undermining the solidarity and mutual aid that anarchy aims to promote.

While anarchy seeks to maximize freedom by removing state control, the practical implications could paradoxically lead to situations where individual liberties are more threatened. Balancing the ideal of maximum freedom with the need for some form of social order and protection of rights remains a significant challenge for anarchist theories when confronted with practical realities.

 

The Primacy of Individual Freedom

At the heart of libertarianism lies the unshakeable belief in individual freedom as the paramount value. Every individual should have the maximum freedom to pursue their happiness, provided they do not infringe upon the rights of others. This principle guides our stance on economic policies, civil liberties, and personal autonomy.

To construct a pragmatic libertarian approach that appeals to the majority, we incorporate insights from dominant views that shape our contemporary society. Though there are many, the realist, liberal, and critical theoretic perspectives predominate many worldviews. This section and those that follow will consider these perspectives and what they have to say about the multifaceted nature of power and its impact on individual freedom. Each perspective offers a unique lens through which we can understand and address threats to human liberty, not only from governments but from all institutions of power.

Realist Perspective on Individual Freedom

• Power Dynamics: Realists highlight the inherent power struggles within society, emphasizing that powerful institutions, including but not limited to governments, can threaten individual freedoms. A pragmatic libertarian approach informed by realism would advocate for mechanisms that prevent any single entity from amassing excessive power, thereby protecting individual liberties.
• Self-Interest of Institutions: Acknowledging that institutions act in self-interest, a realist-inspired pragmatic libertarianism would support checks and balances not just within government but also within the private sector to prevent the infringement of individual rights for the sake of organizational gain.

Liberal Perspective on Individual Freedom

• Institutions as Guarantors of Liberty: Liberals view institutions, including democratic governments and international bodies, as potential protectors of individual freedoms. From this viewpoint, pragmatic libertarianism would support the establishment of transparent and accountable institutions designed to safeguard civil liberties against encroachments by any powerful actor, be it state or corporate.
• Rule of Law and Equal Rights: A liberal approach to pragmatic libertarianism emphasizes the rule of law and the importance of equal rights for all individuals as foundational to personal autonomy. This includes advocating for legal frameworks that protect against discrimination and exploitation by powerful entities.

Critical Theory Perspective on Individual Freedom

• Critique of All Power Structures: Critical theory offers a critique of societal structures that perpetuate inequality and suppress individual freedoms. A pragmatic libertarian approach influenced by critical theory would extend its skepticism of power to include economic elites, multinational corporations, and other non-state actors whose actions can limit personal autonomy.
• Empowerment and Resistance: Drawing from critical theory, pragmatic libertarianism would focus on empowering individuals and communities to resist oppressive practices by any powerful institution. This includes supporting grassroots movements, social entrepreneurship, and alternative media as means to challenge and decentralize power.

A Truly Pragmatic Libertarian Approach

Considering these perspectives, a truly pragmatic libertarian approach to individual freedom might include:

• Decentralization of Power: Advocating for the dispersal of power among various actors to prevent domination by any single institution and protect individual freedoms.
• Protection Across All Domains: Recognizing that threats to liberty can arise in economic, social, and political spheres, and therefore advocating for protections against exploitation, surveillance, censorship, and other forms of control by both governmental and private entities.
• Engagement in Civil Society: Encouraging active engagement in civil society as a means to hold powerful institutions accountable and to foster a culture that values and protects individual freedoms.
• Innovative Governance Models: Exploring and promoting innovative governance models that incorporate direct democracy, polycentric governance, and other forms of organization that empower individuals and communities while minimizing coercive power.
• Economic Freedom with Social Responsibility: Balancing the promotion of economic freedom with the recognition of social responsibility, ensuring that markets operate freely but also fairly, with mechanisms in place to address inequality, environmental degradation, and other externalities.

By integrating the insights from realist, liberal, and critical theories, a pragmatic libertarian approach can more comprehensively address the multifaceted threats to individual freedom in the modern world. This holistic view recognizes the complexity of power dynamics and the necessity of safeguarding liberty against all forms of domination and control.

 

The Necessity of Limited Government Intervention

Government has a role, albeit a limited one, in ensuring the smooth functioning of society. It should protect individuals from aggression, theft, breach of contract, and fraud. Beyond these basic functions, its intervention in the lives of citizens and the economy should be minimized. Government should be a referee, not a player in the market.

To construct a pragmatic libertarian approach that acknowledges threats to human liberty from all powerful institutions, not just governments, we can draw insights from realist, liberal, and critical theories. These perspectives provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the necessity of limited government intervention while recognizing other potential sources of coercion and infringement on individual freedoms.

Realist Perspective

• Power Dynamics: Realists emphasize the anarchic nature of the international system, which can also apply to the internal dynamics of societies. From this view, government’s role in providing security and protecting rights is crucial due to the inherent self-interest and power-seeking behavior of actors. A pragmatic libertarian approach would recognize that in the absence of a minimal state to enforce laws, stronger private entities might fill the power vacuum, potentially threatening individual liberties.
• Balance of Power: In the context of limiting government intervention, a realist-inspired libertarianism would advocate for checks and balances within government structures to prevent any single entity from accumulating excessive power. This concept extends to the economic domain, where the government acts to prevent monopolies and ensure competitive markets without becoming overly involved in market operations.

Liberal Perspective

• Institutional Frameworks: Liberals argue for the importance of institutions in safeguarding individual rights and liberties. A pragmatic libertarian view, informed by liberalism, would support a government that establishes and maintains the rule of law, property rights, and contracts. These institutions are seen as essential for a functioning society and economy but should be designed to empower individuals rather than restrict them unnecessarily.
• Promoting Positive Liberties: While maintaining a focus on negative liberties (freedom from interference), a liberal approach also considers positive liberties (the ability to pursue one’s goals). In practical terms, limited government intervention might include ensuring access to education, basic healthcare, and social safety nets, enhancing individuals’ capabilities to exercise their freedoms fully.

Critical Theorist Perspective

• Critique of Power Structures: Critical theorists highlight how societal structures, including but not limited to the state, can oppress and limit individual freedoms. A pragmatic libertarianism, through this lens, would be alert to the ways in which corporations, media, and even social norms can infringe on personal autonomy. This perspective advocates for a vigilant approach to all forms of power, ensuring that government intervention is also directed at dismantling non-state sources of coercion.
• Emphasis on Emancipation: Drawing from critical theory, a pragmatic libertarian approach prioritizes the emancipation of individuals from all forms of domination and coercion. This could mean advocating for policies that address economic inequalities and social injustices that limit individuals’ freedom to pursue their happiness, even as it insists on the minimal role of government in personal and economic affairs.

The Role of Government in a Pragmatic Libertarian Approach

In light of these perspectives, a pragmatic libertarian approach that sees multiple threats to human liberty involves:

• A Minimal but Strategic State Role: The state should protect against aggression, theft, breach of contract, and fraud, serving as a neutral arbiter rather than an active market participant. It should also ensure competitive markets, prevent monopolistic practices, and safeguard against both governmental and corporate overreach.
• Checks and Balances: Adopting mechanisms to prevent the concentration of power within the government and in the private sector, ensuring accountability and transparency in all powerful institutions.
• Protection and Empowerment: Beyond protecting negative liberties, the government can play a role in empowering individuals to exercise their freedoms, such as through ensuring access to education and essential services, without becoming paternalistic or overly intrusive.
• Responsive and Adaptive Policies: Recognizing the dynamic nature of society and the economy, policies should be flexible and adaptable to address new challenges to individual liberty, whether they arise from government actions, corporate practices, or other societal changes.

By synthesizing realist, liberal, and critical theories, a pragmatic libertarian approach can offer a nuanced and comprehensive framework for understanding the role of government and addressing the multifaceted threats to individual liberties in modern societies.

 

Free Markets and Economic Opportunity 

The free market, guided by the invisible hand of supply and demand, is the most efficient and just method of distributing resources. It encourages innovation, rewards efficiency, and leads to economic growth. Regulations should be minimal and designed only to promote innovation that will prevent unfair practices and reduce coercive monopolistic powers, ensuring a level playing field for all.

Following this format for the construction of a truly pragmatic libertarian approach that acknowledges multiple threats to human liberty from all powerful institutions, we will draw from the perspectives of realists, liberals, and critical theorists. We note that familiarity with these perspectives will also help a pragmatic libertarian explain the appeal of our principles to those who have other ideas about the role of government in a free society.

Realist Perspective

• Power and Self-Interest: Realists emphasize the inherent power struggles and self-interests that define both international relations and domestic affairs. A pragmatic libertarian approach that would appeal to realists would recognize that both state and non-state actors (corporations, NGOs, etc.) pursue their interests, often at the expense of individual liberty.
• Balancing Power: From a realist standpoint, a pragmatic libertarian government structure would focus on balancing power among various societal actors to prevent any single entity from dominating. This might involve mechanisms that ensure no corporation or government body can accumulate enough power to infringe upon individual freedoms fundamentally.

Example: A monopolistic information environment might feature one company that has optimized information dissemination.  In this example, consider how such a company might use its extraordinary wealth to manipulate lobbying pressures in a way that allows information to portray favorably those politicians that will most benefit the company. This creates a sort of corporate capture of the government. It is not hard to imagine how an unhealthy symbiosis might arise between corporate lobbying and government-enforced censorship. Therefore, a check on the powers of censorship in all forms could be a pragmatic libertarian’s policy goal that would appeal to realists.

Liberal Perspective

• Institutions and Cooperation: Liberals believe in the power of institutions to foster cooperation and protect liberties. A pragmatic libertarian, appealing to someone who sees the world through a liberal lens, would advocate for transparent, accountable institutions within the market and a minimalist government whose sole purpose is to safeguard against abuses of power.
• Rule of Law and Individual Rights: Emphasizing the rule of law and individual rights, a pragmatic libertarian government structure would enshrine protections against the encroachment by powerful interests. This includes legal frameworks that limit the ability of organizations to exploit individuals for wealth, power, pleasure, fame, or other perceived “goods” that persons and organizations might pursue at the expense of individual human dignity.

Critical Theory Perspective

• Critique of Power Structures: Critical theorists highlight how societal structures perpetuate inequalities and suppress freedoms. A pragmatic libertarian approach, influenced by critical theory, would be vigilant of not only state power but also the power of corporations and other entities. Though the viewpoint of oppressor and the oppressed is endemic to a libertarian worldview, many Critical Theorists see a world where the oppression is based on wealth, gender, or race.
• Empowering the Marginalized: To counteract the dominance of powerful organizational motives, a pragmatic libertarian government would implement policies aimed at empowering marginalized and disenfranchised groups, ensuring that the market process benefits all members of society, not just the elite.

Dealing with Monopolies in a Pragmatic Libertarian Approach

A pragmatic libertarian approach aligns with the free market’s natural mechanisms to regulate monopolies. Monopolies, defined as market structures with a single seller of a unique product without close substitutes, pose a complex challenge to free market dynamics. However, the essence of libertarianism, with its emphasis on minimal government intervention, offers a nuanced perspective on handling monopolies.

• Monopolies and Market Power: While traditional views on monopolies focus on the negative aspects of reduced competition, pragmatic libertarianism recognizes that monopolies arising from superior innovation or efficiency should not be punished. The market process is dynamic, with innovation and entrepreneurship serving as the core mechanisms for challenging and potentially dismantling monopolies over time.
• Market Process and Innovation: The free market is not a static entity but a vibrant process of continuous change, driven by innovation and entrepreneurship. A pragmatic libertarian viewpoint appreciates that today’s monopolies might be tomorrow’s fallen giants, as new entrants with better solutions or technologies emerge. This perspective emphasizes the importance of maintaining an open and competitive environment where barriers to entry are minimized, not through heavy-handed regulation, but by safeguarding the processes that enable competition and innovation.
• Antitrust Laws and Government Intervention: While acknowledging the concerns raised by monopolistic practices, pragmatic libertarianism cautions against overreliance on antitrust laws. The complexity of defining monopolies, the challenges in predicting market dynamics, and the potential for regulatory capture argue for a restrained approach to antitrust intervention. Instead, fostering a market environment where competition can flourish naturally is preferred, recognizing that government intervention often comes with unintended consequences.
• Trust in the Market Process: Ultimately, a pragmatic libertarian approach trusts in the market process to regulate itself more effectively than government intervention can. This trust is grounded in the belief that the profit motive, which might drive a company toward monopolistic behavior, is the same force that incentivizes competitors to innovate, challenge, and ultimately provide alternatives to monopolistic entities.

Fiscal Responsibility

Government should live within its means, which necessitates a balanced budget, minimal public debt, and a taxation system that is fair, simple, and minimally intrusive. Economic policies should focus on empowering individuals through lower taxes and providing them the freedom to choose where their money goes.

To construct a pragmatic libertarian approach that acknowledges the importance of fiscal responsibility while also considering the insights from realist, liberal, and critical theories, we can explore the multifaceted dimensions of government spending, public debt, and taxation. This nuanced perspective aims to safeguard individual liberties against various forms of power, including but not limited to governmental authority.

Realist Perspective on Fiscal Responsibility

• Power Dynamics: Realists would emphasize the strategic importance of fiscal policy in maintaining a state’s autonomy and security. They argue that fiscal responsibility is crucial not just for economic stability but also for national security, as excessive debt can make a state vulnerable to external pressures and reduce its maneuverability in international relations.
• Pragmatic Approach to Government Spending: From a realist standpoint, government spending should be strategically aligned with national interests, including defense and the maintenance of order. Realists acknowledge the government’s role in protecting society from internal and external threats but caution against the expansion of state power that could lead to authoritarianism.

Liberal Perspective on Fiscal Responsibility

• Promoting Individual Well-Being: Liberals stress the importance of government intervention in correcting market failures and providing public goods that enhance individual freedoms, such as education and healthcare. They view fiscal responsibility as balancing efficient government spending with the need to invest in infrastructure and services that empower individuals and foster equal opportunities.
• Taxation and Redistribution: Liberals advocate for a progressive taxation system that is fair and minimally intrusive, emphasizing the role of taxes in redistributing wealth to address inequalities. They argue that such a system can support social programs that protect the most vulnerable, contributing to a more equitable society where individuals have the freedom to pursue their happiness.

Critical Theory Perspective on Fiscal Responsibility

• Critique of Power Structures: Critical theorists would examine how fiscal policies reinforce or challenge existing power dynamics and inequalities. They would be skeptical of economic policies that disproportionately benefit the wealthy and powerful at the expense of marginalized communities, arguing for a more equitable distribution of resources.
• Addressing Systemic Inequalities: From a critical theory perspective, fiscal responsibility involves using government resources to dismantle structural barriers that limit individual liberties. This could mean more targeted spending on social programs that address the root causes of poverty and inequality, ensuring that fiscal policies do not perpetuate oppression but rather empower all individuals.

A Pragmatic Libertarian Approach Toward Fiscal Responsibility

• Balanced Budget with Strategic Spending: A pragmatic libertarian approach would advocate for a balanced budget while recognizing the strategic importance of certain types of government spending that protect individual liberties and promote national security, in line with realist insights.
• Minimal Taxation: “Taxation is Theft” is core to the libertarian ideals. Drawing from liberal arguments, most of the population still favors taxation as the mechanism to fund the government. A pragmatic libertarian should therefore immediately endeavor to reduce taxation instead of waiting for a miracle cure to eliminate taxation entirely. We should strive to minimize intrusion into personal freedoms while allowing taxation to provide necessary resources for public goods and services that empower individuals.
• Empowering Individuals and Addressing Inequalities: Incorporating critical theory, we can recognize the necessity of addressing systemic inequalities through fiscal policy, ensuring that government intervention does not simply maintain the status quo but actively works to expand liberties for all, especially the marginalized.
• Limiting the Scope of Government: Consistent with libertarian principles, this approach would seek to limit the scope of government intervention in the economy, focusing on protecting individuals from aggression, fraud, and other harms while avoiding overreach that could stifle innovation, competition, and personal autonomy.

By integrating realist, liberal, and critical perspectives, a pragmatic libertarian approach to fiscal responsibility would balance the need for strategic government intervention with the imperative to protect and enhance individual liberties, recognizing the complex interplay between economic policies and various forms of power.

 

 Social Tolerance

A free society is one that is tolerant of diverse lifestyles, cultures, and ideas. The state should not impose moral standards on individuals but rather protect their rights to live as they choose, provided they do not harm others. This extends to issues like drug use, sexual orientation, and freedom of expression.

Realist Perspective:

• Realpolitik of Social Issues: Realists might argue that the state’s role in social tolerance is to maintain order and stability rather than to enforce moral standards. The state should prevent conflict arising from cultural differences, ensuring that tolerance is a means to the end of a stable society.
• Power and Cultural Hegemony: Realists would acknowledge that social tolerance can be a tool for preventing certain groups from gaining too much power and using cultural hegemony to oppress others. In this light, protecting diverse lifestyles is part of a strategy to balance power within society.

Liberal Perspective:

• Individual Rights and Freedoms: Liberals would strongly support the argument for social tolerance, emphasizing individual rights as the cornerstone of a liberal democracy. They would advocate for the protection of personal freedoms, including drug use, sexual orientation, and freedom of expression, as fundamental to human development and autonomy.
• Pluralism and Market of Ideas: Liberalism thrives on pluralism and would see the market of ideas as essential to a progressive society. By ensuring a diversity of lifestyles and cultures, society becomes more vibrant, innovative, and adaptable to change.

Critical Theory Perspective:

• Critique of Dominant Norms: Critical theorists would argue that calls for social tolerance often mask deeper power dynamics and structures of oppression. They would push for an analysis of whose lifestyles and ideas are being tolerated and whose are not, and why.
• Emancipation from Oppressive Structures: A critical theorist would emphasize the need for social tolerance to go beyond mere lip service and translate into active efforts to dismantle societal structures that marginalize certain groups. This includes questioning and changing institutionalized discrimination and biases within the state and other powerful entities.

Pragmatic Libertarian Social Policies:

• Protection without Moralizing: A pragmatic libertarian approach would advocate for a state that protects the rights of individuals to live as they choose, without sliding into moralistic governance. Though laws should reflect the moral minimums, the proliferation legislation that punishes victimless crimes is anathema to free expression. This requires crafting policies that allow for personal freedom while ensuring that one’s freedom does not infringe on another’s rights.
• Decentralized Cultural Governance: Such an approach might favor decentralized decision-making on cultural issues, allowing communities to set their own standards of tolerance, provided they do not violate the overarching principle of non-aggression.
• Active Civil Society: To promote social tolerance, a pragmatic libertarian approach would encourage a robust civil society where diverse groups can advocate for their rights and mediate conflicts without state coercion.
• Balanced Legal Frameworks: Recognizing that freedom of expression and lifestyle choices can sometimes clash with other rights, this approach would seek balanced legal frameworks that protect individuals from harm while respecting their autonomy.

A pragmatic libertarian approach informed by realist, liberal, and critical perspectives would strive to create a society where social tolerance is balanced with the need to maintain a legal framework that is capable of protecting individual liberties. Our approach should be to actively work against entrenched power structures that limit human freedom.

 

Rule of Law

A predictable and transparent legal framework is essential for a free society. Laws should be clear, public, and applied equally to all individuals. The judicial system must be independent and focused on the protection of individual rights and property.

To create a pragmatic libertarian approach that incorporates the insights of realist, liberal, and critical theories regarding the rule of law, we can explore how each perspective might address the importance of a legal framework in safeguarding individual liberties:

Realist Perspective on Rule of Law:

• Power and Order: Realists see the rule of law as a mechanism to maintain order and manage power relations within society. They would argue that laws must be clear and public to prevent chaos and provide a stable environment where individual rights can be protected against the arbitrariness of power.
• State Sovereignty: Realists would emphasize that the rule of law must reinforce the sovereignty of the state, ensuring that the legal system is strong enough to resist external pressures that could compromise individual rights within its territory.

Liberal Perspective on Rule of Law:

• Individual Autonomy: Liberals strongly advocate for the rule of law as a foundation for individual autonomy and the protection of rights. They would support a transparent legal framework that empowers individuals to make informed decisions and pursue their interests without fear of unpredictable state intervention.
• Equality Before the Law: A liberal perspective underscores the necessity of equal application of the law, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of status, have access to justice and are treated equally by the judicial system.

Critical Theory Perspective on Rule of Law:

• Challenging Power Structures: Critical theorists would critique the rule of law for often reflecting and reinforcing existing power structures. They would call for a continuous examination of laws to ensure they do not perpetuate social inequalities or marginalize certain groups.
• Social Justice and Emancipation: From a critical perspective, the rule of law should be a tool for social justice, actively working to dismantle societal barriers and empower disadvantaged communities. The judicial system must not only be independent but also actively conscious of systemic biases.

The Pragmatic Libertarian Approach to Rule of Law:

• Dynamic Legal Adaptation: A pragmatic libertarian approach would recognize the need for laws to adapt to changing societal values and technological advancements while maintaining a core commitment to individual rights and property protection.
• Checks and Balances: It would promote a system of checks and balances that ensures the independence of the judiciary, preventing the concentration of power and safeguarding against both government overreach and the tyranny of powerful non-state actors.
• Decentralization of Legal Authority: To prevent the centralization of power, a pragmatic libertarian approach would advocate for a degree of legal decentralization, allowing for regional variation in laws while upholding fundamental rights across the board.
• Participatory Legal Processes: This approach would encourage participatory legal processes that involve individuals and communities in the creation and reform of laws, ensuring that the legal framework reflects a broad range of interests and perspectives.
• Access to Justice: Recognizing the importance of access to justice, a pragmatic libertarian approach would support measures that ensure legal services are accessible and affordable to all, promoting fairness and equality in legal proceedings.

By blending realist, liberal, and critical perspectives, a pragmatic libertarian approach to the rule of law would balance the need for a stable and predictable legal framework with the ongoing pursuit of equality, justice, and the protection of individual liberties against all forms of concentrated power.

 

Pragmatic Libertarian Policy Priorities

Strong Legal Protections for Individual Rights: Enforcing the rule of law to protect individuals from coercion and exploitation by powerful entities, especially the government. This is paramount to the Pragmatic Libertarian. It is worth noting that legal protections require just and accountable government structures. It is also important to remember that government structures wield a monopoly on violence and are more likely to coerce and exploit citizens than most other entities. Therefore legal protections through a strengthened judiciary should be our immediate priority at the local, state, and federal levels.

Social Safety Nets and Access to Opportunities: The idea of a social safety net may seem abhorrent to many libertarians, but the collectivist nature of modern society demands incremental progress toward reducing the need for governments to provide social safety nets. The reduction of the government’s role in meeting this need is the focus of a pragmatic libertarian. We should encourage private citizens and corporate philanthropy to provide a foundation of security for all individuals while using government structures to ensure that everyone has access to the opportunities created by the free-market process. The responsible use of government in this way will not only garner votes but also protect our values from descending into a cutthroat system of survivalism.

Decentralization of Power: This prioritizes the prevention of concentrated power that threatens individual liberty. We must therefore work together to limit the role and coercive powers of the government in people’s lives. A pragmatic libertarian should prioritize local action and small-town governance. Valid priorities also include the decentralization of power by reducing censorship and corporate capture of the government. Furthermore, encouraging dynamic markets through policies that support innovation, entrepreneurship, and the entry of new players can challenge existing power structures. This is especially true for political structures, which in America are currently centralized in the hands of a powerful few who dominate the two main political parties. It is also true in the information space, where a powerful few dominate the news and internet searches, often in ways that promote oppressive political agendas.

Regulatory Oversight Focused on Fair Play: Rather than stifling innovation and competition, regulatory frameworks should ensure that the market remains open and competitive. This should emphasize free-market processes to prevent abuses of monopolistic coercion and anti-competitive practices. This is especially true in government, where for example, most Americans are forced to choose between a duopolistic two-party system. Therefore, action at the local, state, and federal levels should encourage fair play through democratized ballot access and initiatives such as ranked-choice voting. Though these efforts will need continuous work, they will almost certainly help reduce lobbying pressures and ensure that both government and corporate entities are accountable to the public, with transparent operations that allow for public scrutiny and participation. A government that is more representative of the people and provides stronger protections for individual liberty is better able to ensure fair play for all.

 

In Conclusion

We cherish our libertarian ideals. We also confront the reality that a society without any government cannot protect the very freedoms we hold dear. As von Mises tells us, there is a valid role for representative government. That role is to prevent abuses of regulatory, economic, and propagandist power where the strong prey on the weak. In such a place, the rights of individuals are trampled upon by powerful aggressors who become more powerful by feeding upon the vulnerable.

Our vision of libertarianism acknowledges the necessity of a government that is strong enough to protect rights but restrained enough to allow freedom to flourish. We propose a pragmatic libertarianism, that recognizes the complexities of modern society, and that seeks to find the optimal interplay of principles and pragmatics.

This manifesto is a call to fellow libertarians to embrace a reasoned approach to our philosophy. It is an invitation to engage in constructive dialogue with those who may not share our views, to find common ground and to advance the cause of liberty in a manner that is both principled and pragmatic.

Let us conclude with a recognition that principles and pragmatics are not mutually exclusive. They can both coexist and even propagate together, like electromagnetic forces. These concepts exist on different axes: they are mutually inductive rather than polar opposites. Consider that an electric current propagates a magnetic field. Also, changes to a magnetic field propagate electric currents. In this way, physical light shines forth.

This manifesto maintains that our principles propagate through pragmatics, and deliberate changes to our pragmatics will propagate our principles. Put a different way, our principles should inform our next steps (pragmatics), and the way those next steps land should help us better understand and communicate our principles as we move toward our goals. In this way, the light of Liberty shines forth.

Set free the captives.