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A Libertarian Case for Social Justice
A consistent & desirable libertarian ethical philosophy is possible, and indeed, it exists: existential ethics, as articulated by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Bouvoir, centers upon self-knowledge, personal responsibility (in the form of good-faith acceptance of one’s freedom & the responsibility that comes with it), and the maximization of the personal freedom of both oneself and others. What Sartre & Bouvoir’s work has that’s lacking in shallower but more popular attempts at libertarian ethical philosophy like Rand’s is a nuanced understanding of the impact of actually-existing power structures.
Acting as though our world is already equitable prevents the world from becoming equitable, in the same way that a poor person who acts as though he is already rich will only dig himself further into debt. A serious libertarian (as opposed to a libertarian of convenience) is invested in a more equitable world, where the freedoms he experiences are available to others, and where opportunity for advancement is there for those who take it. As a result, such a person must be very careful to avoid prefigurative politics.
It’s possible to be sheltered from the knowledge of existing inequities. Consider the notion of a ‘gentleman’ in enlightenment europe: regardless of…
