Why is it found more in men than in women (who are more likely to become statists)? Because males jealously guard their initiative and assertiveness in their own lives, families, and in their communities. There is such a thing as a proper independence or autonomy, which the current doctrine of subsidiarity recognizes. Many who identify as "libertarian" nonetheless acknowledge the importance of living in community and such. (Though some make the mistake of emphasizing communities as being 'voluntary' or valid only if they are 'voluntary'.)
Popular libertarianism is more a statment about the limits of the National Government than a absolute condemnation of all governments. (Might the same be true of popular anarchism?) How man of those who are disenchanted with government have actually had an experience with a properly functioning republican government?
Men instinctually seek to befriend and collaborate with men whom they respect and trust, to be loyal to them and to endure with them. But there is a vast difference between this sort of close-knit brotherhood of kith and kin, for which he may give up his life, and the "community" of the modern nation-state.
Leviathan, Our Greatest Enemy: Libertarianism and Conservatism by Brad Birzer
Related:
The Southern Critics: An Anthology - review by Julie Robison Baldwin
No comments:
Post a Comment