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Barack Obama’s Political Philosophy
By Fernando Teson On May 21, 2013 · 24 Comments · In Academic Philosophy, Current Events, Democracy, Economics, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Liberty
(Author’s note: this is a post about ideas, not politics. It is unrelated to current events. It simply examines the philosophical views expressed by our Chief Executive.)
In a number of speeches, the President has outlined his views on the legitimacy of government. Following the Tea Party success in 2010, he resolutely responded to those [...]
“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Rudyard Kipling Recent research has done a great deal to remind us that, as a species, humans are made out of stories. The political scientist Leslie Paul Thiele’s Heart of Judgement discusses the ways in which narrative helps [...]
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; [...]
The Nation has just published a piece by BHL’s old friend Corey Robin where Robin tries to draw a significant connection between Austrian economics’ view of economic value and Nietzsche’s far broader value skepticism (also see Robin’s CT post here). The upshot, from what I can tell, is that Austrians are [...]
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the suspect in the Boston marathon bombings, was not read his Miranda rights until a few days after he was arrested. Here are two excellent articles which explain the origin of this exception, why it is a dangerous idea, and how the Obama administration has expanded this exception.
By Emily [...]
The estimable Rod Long argues in an earlier post that we should stop the war on May Day by returning to its origins as a celebration of worker’s movements, rather than transforming it into a commemoration of the crimes of governments.
I’m more interested in the OTHER war on May Day.
Back in [...]
What Is a Terrorist?
By Fernando Teson On April 23, 2013 · 40 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 [...]
Sean Gabb, of the UK Libertarian Alliance, offers a fairly acidic take on the late Baroness Thatcher.
Gabb’s bottom line: Thatcher was an authoritarian and a corporatist. He offers multiple examples of her hostility to civil liberties and notes that she didn’t seem to have received the memo about the distinction between being [...]
A Questionable Argument for Paternalistic Legislation
By Fernando Teson On April 6, 2013 · 38 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 [...]
Recently a Canadian student was stopped three times in two weeks while crossing the border into the US. According to her account of the experience, the border guards were particularly interested in the condoms she was carrying, the lingerie packed in her suitcase, and the fact that she was traveling with a married [...]
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