Libertarianism Is Not About Selfishness

There are many who tend to demonize or criticize a political ideology before they even understand what it is.  Sometimes that criticism is deserved, despite them having simply made an assumption that turned out to be correct (though they would have no right to make that criticism out of ignorance); sometimes that criticism is based on a straw man of either the ideology's followers or of the ideology itself.  Libertarianism, like conservatism and liberalism, is the target of straw man accusations that only reveal the ignorance of the accusers.

Libertarians are sometimes characterized as people who want nothing more than to do almost whatever they wish, even if they desire to do something that is ultimately immoral, as long as they do not violate very specific rights that all people have (right to life, private property, and so on).  According to this stereotype, (many) libertarians are not libertarian because of intellectual and moral accuracy, but because they dislike accountability to others.  This is an erroneous misjudgment of the nature of actual libertarianism.

Libertarianism itself is not about people selfishly seeking to avoid moral accountability, but about recognizing the limits of what constitutes a just government and safeguarding the rights of individuals to live without large governments micromanaging their lives.  It is an ideology that opposes every unjust or unnecessary law.  Governments have a very particular basis for their existences, and they lapse into tyranny of a minor or major sort whenever they deviate from this purpose.  This, and nothing else, is at the center of genuine libertarianism.

After a few moments of contemplation, it should become apparent that libertarianism is not anarchy.  The latter is the absence of all governmental bodies, while the former emphasizes minimal government.  Thus, no actual libertarian wants absolute personal freedom from all laws.  The notion that libertarians defy legitimate authority is incorrect.  It is easier, of course, for conservatives and liberals to pretend otherwise.

It is unfortunate that some people would rather let a government unnecessarily deprive them of resources, unjustly prohibit them from engaging in morally permissible activities, and create new societal problems than advocate for a government that does not operate outside the boundaries of its duties.  If a policy or activity is gratuitous, it does not matter if people like it.  If a law unjustly restricts individual freedom, it does not matter if people think the law is just.  Just because people are used to a certain kind of government does not mean that the government in question is legitimate.