Hegemony or Freedom

by | Jun 8, 2009 | Stress Blog | 3 comments

At a glance the libertarian world view presents a simple paradox, if every one is free to do as they please, how does one ensure that libertarian society exists. The simple truth however is that for economic freedom to exist there must first be complete and total political freedom. Political freedom in the libertarian sense that any one can freely associate with any group they choose without duress. This stand in direct opposition to the hegemonic impulses and ideals of the current system, where social diversity is really the disguise of a homogeneous society. For any ideal how ever noble how ever desirable, tends to universality above all else.

A simple example is the practice of women in Islamic countries to were burkas. That is to say in our society it seems like a moral action to impose upon these people more ‘liberal’ values. But the flaw is that while a number of women are most likely forced to wear them, an imposition of of political and social ideas only alienate those who do so by choice, possibly spurring radical anti’liberal’ movements. And at the same time those who acquiesce will be doing so for the same reason they wore the burkas, because they were told to, if not force to. Leading to the same build up of animosity except instead of animosity to father or community the animosity end up for the very society that up hold such values as synonymous with freedom.

The basic understanding one must come to if they believe in libertarian ideals is that the most important free market in any society is the market of ideas. This together with a libertarian form of government, self governance will allow encourage and proliferate a whole host of new voluntary social arrangement. But more importantly many will very much so resemble old styles of communes and other socialist esque experiments as well as what will most likely be consider local theocracies. Now the most important aspect of a libertarian society is that as long as these new social groups are voluntary and free of coercion against other they must not only be tolerated but actively defended.

This is to say that the authentic libertarian responses to a call for communism or religious communities is to reply, sure go and buy a piece of land and invite all those who want to join you. As long as the social arrangements are purely voluntary there is no threat posed to ‘society’ or the free market. In a state however that brutally assaults independent social groupings, and provides countless means of its own quasi social institutions. Resulting in a miss allocation of social relations develops. producing the same boom, bust of the business cycle,except in the social arena in the form of oppression and centralization followed by revolution. For the legitimate need for some change in the social relations of people are then taken advantage of by this or that demagogue to further bolster the state by either seizing the state it self to ‘free the people’or by establishing some counter government revolutionary movement, that only feeds the state security apparatus while more and more if successful becomes it self a centralize state like apparatus.

The core issue is the universality of this principle as long as its not an aggression against another’s person or property it is ones moral right to be upheld by anyone seeking morality. So whether its neo-nazi or religious radicals or communist . If they are not transgressing any one else’s rights there is not only no reason to deny them, but every reason to defend them even if you could not disagree with the substance of their ideals.