Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Anders Mikkelsen
amikkelsen@yahoo.com
A Libertarian is one who believes that Liberty is the highest political principle.
Liberty creates order and allows society to flourish. Peace and Property are
inextricably linked to Liberty. Libertarians are distinguished by having and applying
consistent political principles.
What is a Conservative?
Statists
Militarists
Social Darwinists
Paternalists
Free Traders
Protectionists
Naturally this is not an exhaustive list. Some of these categories are mutually
exclusive and some can be combined.
When libertarians look at the history of the west they see that a truly free society is
a radical concept. Yet the history of the west shows continual resistance to the
statist order. Since Western and especially English traditions and status quo
institutions have a wide streak of statism as well as support for liberty, and private
property, etc. it is possible for supporters of liberty to feel they are either supporters
of a long tradition and the status quo opposed to those dangerous radicals the
statists, or are in fact the dangerous radicals opposed to the statist status quo.
Libertarians believe that properly defined law and order and private property are
bound up in the principles of liberty. Since conservatives ostensibly support law and
order and private property it is no surprise libertarians are considered conservative.
Libertarians natural affinities are to those who care about the rights of everyone.
Libertarians are bound to respect the rights of the irreligious, uncharitable,
pornographic, dirty, free-thinkers, libertine, puritan, atheists, rich, poor, and those
who discriminate. Libertarians natural allies are those people conservative, liberal,
or radical who agree we all must respect the rights of everyone, including those
who are different from ourselves and our values and way of life.