Viper1 said:
Libertarianism works on the principle that the people will help the people. Where liberalism expects the government to do this for them. Libertarianism is hardly selfish whereas you could say Liberalism is just lazy. Worse, it breads a society that becomes dependant on that government As for the property rights of a store allowing the proprietor to turn customers away based on race, that's true. However, you're missing how that business model would eventually lead to a business failure given that most people would not shop there. That's the point. It balances power. The proprietor can choose his rules (it is their property, after all) while the people can choose to support such a business practice or not thereby enacting their own citizenry regulation....power to the people. |
liberalism doesn't really expect the government to help people that much, only to a very limited extent. Think of when Jefferson said 'the best government is that which governs least', that is the general classical liberal view of the state. They believe in a nightwatchman state which just provides protection for individuals rights to life, liberty and property and maybe some public goods, which cannot effectively be provided by the private sector. Or think of John Stuart Mill's harm principle, where the state can only intervene in one's life or actions to prevent harm to another. Liberalism doesn't expect government to do much for people; hence why libertarianism is really just a radical strand of neo-liberalism.








