The Limits of Libertarianism

Tyler Cowen, of the Volokh Conspiracy, is encouraging everyone to read Will Wilkinson's post on libertarianism and the problem of mythology. Wilkinson likewise encourages us to read the conversation in Reason magazine on the subject between Richard Epstein, Randy Barnett (one of my favorites), David Friedman and James Pinkerton.

Let me add my own "ditto" to both recommendations. Like Cowen, I am a "small 'l' libertarian". I vote for the party and tend to agree with the essential argument of libertarianism, but there are key areas of disagreement and an overall sense that in its pure form, libertarianism is as unlikely to work as communism. Nonetheless, I think we need to push the major parties to take libertarian ideas far more seriously than they do, and we need to educate the public as well on the importance of liberty and the myriad ways in which it is undermined in modern America.