Colin Bird on Libertarianism

A Critique

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.21.2024.90.05

Keywords:

libertarianism, self-ownership, rights, utilitarianism, inviolability, redistribution

Abstract

In this article, I delve into Colin Bird’s critical evaluation of libertarianism. Bird positions this strand within his broader framework of “liberal individualism,” and he contends that libertarianism, as a prime exemplar of liberal individualism, is inherently self-contradictory because of the perceived tension between self-ownership and individual inviolability. Employing logical and comparative analyses, this research rigorously examines the accuracy of Bird’s reconstruction and interpretation of libertarianism, while also assessing the validity of his assertion that libertarianism harbours internal contradictions. The findings suggest that Bird’s argument does not hold primarily due to misinterpreting the core tenets of libertarianism.

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Author Biography

Paweł Nowakowski, University of Wrocław, Poland

Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science, the University of Wrocław. His research interests cover libertarianism, human dignity, philosophy of rights and political culture.

References

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Published

2024-11-24

How to Cite

Nowakowski, Paweł. 2024. “Colin Bird on Libertarianism : A Critique”. Politeja 21 (3(90):105-19. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.21.2024.90.05.

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Section

Political Theory