Libertarianism And Freedom Of The Individual

1484 Words6 Pages
Libertarianism and the Freedom of the Individual In opposition to scholars such as Rawls, who emphasized a need for redistribution in order to gain equality, is the Libertarian point of view. Much of the Libertarian ideology stems from thinkers like Locke and Hayek. Libertarians traditionally emphasize limited government and property ownership, these stem from an emphasis on negative rights. They recognize negative rights as the most essential element to human freedom. Liberty is considered to be the most basic and fundamental right from which all others flow. Any obstruction of one’s liberty, so long as it does not harm another’s liberty, is a violation of state and society. Liberty is a deontological view. The right of liberty is prior to and superior to any good which it may produce or not produce. The highest moral right is liberty and from it any other goods will follow. These secondary rights could include freedom to get married, or be a musician, but these are to be pursued privately. Negative liberty is “freedom from”, only when an individual is free to make his own decisions and actions without coercion is a person truly free (Machan 5). This “freedom from” emphasizes right before good. According to Hospers The essential ingredient in all freedom from coercion by other is one’s basic and inalienable right; it is fundamental to human survival and the development of the self (Machan 8). The most fundamental right is liberty. When an individual claims to have a right, it is another’s duty to respect that right (Machan 7). All claims to right cannot violate any other’s claims to rights. Negative rights to libertarians are essential. Their “freedom from” establishes the ability of the individual as a rational human being to pursue their means of happiness. This is different than positive rights in that they not only require interference,
Open Document