Posts by: Fernando Teson
Libertarians and Human Rights
By Fernando Teson On May 14, 2013 · 9 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Current Events, Economics, Libertarianism, Liberty, Rights Theory
In a recent post, Bas van der Vossen urges libertarians to think more about human rights. I agree, so I write this commentary in the spirit of a friendly amendment.
I think it is important at the outset to distinguish two spheres of endeavor. The first is the academic study of human rights; [...]
What Is a Terrorist?
By Fernando Teson On April 23, 2013 · 36 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Current Events, Liberty, Rights Theory
In the wake of the Boston attack, I thought I would share my view of what makes someone a terrorist. Defining terrorism has proven especially daunting. The main reason is that any definition is condemnatory. The word “terrorism” is not a purely descriptive term; it has strong negative connotations. No one says “I’m a proud [...]
The End of an Era: The Kiobel Decision
By Fernando Teson On April 18, 2013 · 15 Comments · In Current Events, Libertarianism, Social Justice
Yesterday the Supreme Court issued a ruling that virtually ended more than 30 years of human rights litigation in United States courts. Starting with the landmark Filartiga case, foreigners have been able to rely on the Alien Tort Statute to bring suits in American courts against human rights violators, [...]
A Questionable Argument for Paternalistic Legislation
By Fernando Teson On April 6, 2013 · 34 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Current Events, Libertarianism, Liberty
Following Mill, libertarians have condemned paternalistic legislation. Examples of such legislation are the criminalization of drugs, and the failure to wear motorcycle helms or seat belts. Mill’s argument is that society is not entitled to protect people against themselves. Society is instead entitled to prevent people from making decisions that harm others. When I run [...]
More on Libertarians and War
By Fernando Teson On February 2, 2013 · 141 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Current Events, Libertarianism
Libertarians think that only defensive war is justified. This belief about war is an extension of the beliefs about individual violence. Just as persons cannot permissibly attack other persons, so nations cannot permissibly attack other nations. The late Harry Browne’s statement is representative:
Most libertarians believe you shouldn’t initiate force [...]
What’s in a Word?
By Fernando Teson On December 21, 2012 · 18 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Liberty, Social Justice
Here, just in time for holiday fun, is some old-fashioned ordinary-language, probably worthless, rumination.
It is often said, when criticizing institutions, that such and such political arrangement systematically hurts the poor and vulnerable. But how is that different from saying that such and such political arrangement hurts the poor and vulnerable? What is the meaning [...]
I’m a libertarian, not a conservative. We all know what that means. However, there is a point where, in my judgment, conservatives are right: Obama and the high liberals want a sharp reduction of American influence in the world. (Gallup reports that if the vote for the American presidency were held globally Obama would [...]
BHL on Reason Magazine
By Fernando Teson On September 25, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarian Thought, Book/Article Reviews
In his interesting article in Reason magazine Ron Paul: Man of the Left (p. 35) Brian Doherty says nice things about bleeding-heart libertarians in general, and John Tomasi in particular.
The New Theory of Justice
By Fernando Teson On September 7, 2012 · 50 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Book/Article Reviews, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Liberty
Modern political philosophers (such as Rawls, Dworkin, and others) have tried to reconcile the traditional liberal concern for liberty with the demands of distributive justice, the latter understood as a concern with the claims that the disadvantaged members of society may have on the rest. These writers realize that the coercion needed to realize distributive [...]
Justice: Realized or Guaranteed?
By Fernando Teson On August 16, 2012 · 77 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Libertarianism, Rights Theory, Social Justice
We have discussed at length the differences between bleeding-heart libertarians and liberal egalitarians. Let us assume that both camps agree that political institutions must take centrally into account the plight of the poor and vulnerable. The difference between the two camps is sometimes cast in empirical terms: libertarians think that free markets will help the [...]
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