Flaws of Libertarianism. Libertarianism is a political philosophy that has great appeal in the United States of America. It promotes freedom of the individual, and a reduced role for the government. While the success of its flagship political party has been limited, it has undoubtedly influenced the political scene throughout the world. Many of the founders and early adopters of the Internet held libertarian beliefs, and many Kuro5hin readers self-identify as libertarians (over 25 readers self-identified in the Who Are You series). The purpose of this article is to demonstrate some of the flaws of this political philosophy in terms of logical fallacies, and by taking their philosophy to its logical conclusion. [kuro5hin.org]
I consider myself a ‘small l’ libertarian (as opposed to an orthodox Libertarian, even though I do belong to the LP). I just believe the government should stay out of people’s private lives. Anything an individual choses to do, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else, is his or her own personal choice and the government has no right to interfere. The government has no right to dictate morality or beliefs or control what chemicals a person choses to put into his or her body.