Libertarianism, Left-libertarianism

It’s Not Just About Markets

Sometimes when people hear I’m a libertarian they say “So, you’re in favor of corporations running the world?” or “But markets won’t solve everything!” Perhaps this identification of libertarianism with markets (and, by extension, corporations) stems from the early debate between Rawls and Nozick, with it being popularly understood that Rawls defended Government redistribution and Nozick defended markets. But I think that it’s worth re-emphasizing that (1) libertarians defend the moral priority of voluntary transactions—and that market transactions are just one example of these, and (2) being in favor of markets does not mean that one favors everything that businesses engage in to enhance their profitability.

 

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