How can we fund scientific research without government?

Published May 16, 2012 in Short Answers by Mary Ruwart

QUESTION: I am greatly in agreement with libertarianism principles, but as a college student preparing for a career in the hard sciences, I can't help but question one issue: scientific research. How would a libertarian society address such issues as scientific research of a purely academic nature at a scale that cannot necessarily be carried out at a university level? Without government-funded laboratories, how do we fuel new research of such a nature that would be inherently unprofitable to any private enterprise?   ANSWER: In his 1996  (Read More)

The Real Issue May Be Poverty

Published May 04, 2012 in Persuasion by Sharon Harris

Many objections or concerns that people have about some libertarian proposals boil down to one issue: concern about the poor and disadvantaged.    Examples:    * One of the major objections to private education is that, without government schools, the poor might not have access to quality schools. Many people know that the private sector can provide quality education that most people could afford. And they’re frustrated by the wretched education the government education monopoly foists upon so many kids. But they are afraid that ending  (Read More)

The Know-Nothing Libertarian "Leader"

Published March 28, 2012 in Persuasion by Michael Cloud

The other day, a libertarian phoned me to talk about some projects he was working on. After we discussed them, I wanted to find out a little bit about his libertarian background and thinking and knowledge.

  "When I first meet a libertarian, I like to get a feel for his interests and knowledge," I said. "I ask one question and we start from there. When I first met Murray Rothbard, Nathaniel Branden, Dave Nolan, Dr. John Hospers, David Bergland, and Harry Browne, this is the first libertarian question I asked each of them. Would you be willing to answer it?"  (Read More)

The Golden Rule Applied to Libertarian Communication

Published March 26, 2012 in Persuasion by Sharon Harris

The Golden Rule, according to philosopher and scholar Simon Blackburn, can be "found in some form in almost every ethical tradition."   We often hear it in the positive form: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”   It is also heard in a negative form (sometimes called the Silver Rule): “Do not treat others in ways you would not like to be treated yourself.”   Libertarianism, with its prohibition against the initiation of force, could  (Read More)