On Libertarians

The problem with libertarians is that they believe that if everyone were left to live as he pleases, human life in general would improve. But when did men in general ever improve themselves through the unrestricted pursuit of what pleases them? Is pleasure happiness? Is comfort the good? Is greatness achieved through living without limits, without conflict, and without pain? Ay, there’s the rub; the libertarians, in hoping for something which they, being nihilistic materialists, identify as “peace,” are angling for a world without greatness. They are often keen to cite the historical economic boons of “capitalism” and the unleashed creativity of “openness” as evidence in favor of their philosophy. Interesting, isn’t it, that they are at least equally keen to evade the moral and intellectual calamity of the era of “capitalism” and “openness.” So eager are they to hide the dark side that they now increasingly demean themselves with enthusiastic rationalizations for drug addiction, pornographic or mind-addling popular entertainment, and the late modern economy’s endless opportunities for every ordinary person to get rich by exploiting everyone else’s weaknesses and vices. Contrary to the libertarian rationalizations, these disasters of incivility are not the natural fruits of freedom, but rather the hot asphalt that a metaphysically unhinged caricature of freedom lays as it paves its road toward tyranny.