Why I'm not libertarian

An explanation of why libertarianism is both logically incoherent and ethically harmful. From a talk given on March 28, 2013.

Transcript

1. Why I'm not libertarian Ka-Ping Yee @zestyping March 28, 2013
3. why
4. libertarianism
5. 1. Libertarianism is logically incoherent. 2. Libertarianism is ethically harmful.
6. definitions of libertarianism
7. “Libertarians believe in individual conscience and individual choice, and reject the use of force or fraud to compel others except in response to force or fraud. (This latter is called the Non-Coercion Principle and is the one thing all libertarians agree on.)” —Eric Raymond
8. —Libertarian Party (lp.org)
9. “…the fact is, every service supplied by the government can be provided better and cheaper by private business.” —Libertarian Party (lp.org/issues/taxes)
10. “Taxation is theft.” —Murray Rothbard —Libertarian Party platform —Ayn Rand (paraphrased) —John Boehner (paraphrased)
11. —Libertarian Party (lp.org)
12. freedom
13. You go out for dinner.
14. What freedoms did you exercise?
15. roads road signs traffic lights driver licensing food safety running water sewage building safety literacy
16. public schools public universities health care vaccination disease control poison control care for the elderly services for the disabled city planning building safety land registration public libraries public radio Internet medical research technical standards 911 disaster coordination emergency alerting emergency medicine weather service geospatial data services climate stability firefighting wildfire suppression waste removal parks lakes fisheries clean air wildlife protection postal service
17. i.e. civilization
18. “Libertarians believe in individual conscience and individual choice, and reject the use of force or fraud to compel others except in response to force or fraud. (This latter is called the Non-Coercion Principle and is the one thing all libertarians agree on.)” —Eric Raymond
19. coercion
20. Is regulation coercion?
21. Regulation: masturbation is forbidden
22. Regulation: dumping mercury in the river is forbidden
23. “Taxation is theft.” —Murray Rothbard —Libertarian Party platform —Ayn Rand (paraphrased) —John Boehner (paraphrased)
24. Don't pay your taxes, we'll threaten you. Don't respond, we'll arrest you. Don't go to jail, we'll kill you.
25. In a libertarian utopia, you cross the street.
26. Don't pay the toll, we'll threaten you. Don't respond, we'll arrest you. Don't go to jail, we'll kill you.
27. Did you consent? Are you free?
28. You are having a heart attack. You rush to the ER. The hospital charges you $1,000,000.
29. Your parents are ill and can't work. They can't afford to send you to college. No one will hire you for a skilled job. You can't pay for rent or health care.
30. You are six years old.
31. Freedom can come from many sources: government, individuals, corporations, nature, ... Coercion can come from many sources: government, individuals, corporations, nature, ...
32. Freedom can come from many sources: government, individuals, corporations, nature, ... Coercion can come from many sources: government, individuals, corporations, nature, ... (libertarians)
33. Freedom can come from many sources: government, individuals, corporations, nature, ... Coercion can come from many sources: government, individuals, corporations, nature, ... (most everyone else)
34. property
35. Property is an invention.
36. land registration crime prevention law enforcement contract enforcement courts prisons legislation elections
37. Who benefits from property rights?
38. $ $1000 $7000 A B
39. $ $1000 $1000 A + x B + y
40. $ $1000 A B + y
41. $ $1000 A + x B
43. real life
44. disaster management
45. disaster management coordination weather service geospatial intelligence
46. malaria
47. malaria in sub-Saharan Africa 1 million deaths per year leading cause of death for children under 5
48. malaria in sub-Saharan Africa economic losses estimated at $12 billion would cost only $4 billion to solve
49. malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes insecticide-treated bed nets are known to be effective
50. malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes insecticide-treated bed nets are known to be effective 1. protect you from infected mosquitoes 2. protect others from infected you 3. create herd immunity: a nonlinear effect
51. malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes insecticide-treated bed nets are known to be effective 1. protect you from infected mosquitoes 2. protect others from infected you 3. create herd immunity: a nonlinear effect
52. malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes insecticide-treated bed nets are known to be effective 1. protect you from infected mosquitoes 2. protect others from infected you 3. create herd immunity: a nonlinear effect
53. giving out free bed nets could mean more children sleep under bed nets
54. giving out free bed nets could mean wasted revenue from people who would have paid
55. giving out free bed nets could mean people use them as fishing nets or wedding veils
56. giving out free bed nets could mean people learn that they work, become more likely to buy
57. giving out free bed nets could mean people feel entitled, become less likely to buy
58. giving out free bed nets could mean neighbours see value, more likely to buy
59. giving out free bed nets could mean neighbours wait to get for free, less likely to buy
60. all these answers can be measured
61. Pascaline Dupas, 2010 $0.00 $1.00 $2.00 $3.00 $0.65 $1.60 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Will people purchase bed nets? Pascaline Dupas, 2010
62. Pascaline Dupas, 2010 $0.00 $1.00 $2.00 $3.00 $0.65 $1.60 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Will people use bed nets if they are free? Pascaline Dupas, 2010
63. Do free nets discourage future purchases? $0.00 $1.00 $2.00 $3.00 $0.65 $1.60 0% 10% 20% 30% Pascaline Dupas, 2010
64. Pascaline Dupas, 2010 Will neighbours buy nets if others get them for free? Pascaline Dupas, 2010
65. 1. Both freedom and coercion can come from government, individuals, corporations, nature, ... 2. Regulations both increase and decrease freedom. 3. Property rights are an invention that disproportionately benefits the rich. 4. The real world is full of externalities, coordination problems, and actors with incomplete information. 5. Policy should be based on measurement, not ideology.