Computers and Society

Libertarianism

            Libertarianism refers to a political belief that upholds that every person owns life and property and therefore has a right to make choices and decisions on how to live and use his or her property provided other people’s he or she puts into consideration the rights of other people to have the same. The perspective of libertarianism is that social harmony, peace and prosperity are to be fostered (Brennan, 2012). With a long progressing tradition that has kept spanning hundreds of years, libertarian ideas have contributed to various stages of history changing movements for instance women suffrage, abolition and civil rights movement. The perspective of liberty is in various forms for instance personal liberty which emphasizes that individuals should have freedom of making choices and accept responsibilities out of the choices they make therefore, no one should initiate force against an individual (Brennan, 2012). There is also economic liberty which is at society level to ensure that every member of the society receives sufficient opportunities in order to attain economic success. It is more efficient to allocate resources in a free and a competitive market. This perspective gives a people a right to offer goods and services on free market. The government is only to play a role of protecting property rights, arbitrate disputes and provide a proper and legal structure that promotes trade. Security liberty requires the government to execute the role of protecting rights of the individuals (Brennan, 2012).

            Libertarianism perspective is applicable in various ways in the real world setting. This perspective can be applied in self ownership; individuals have rights over their bodies than any other person or authority may not violate. They have freedom to decide what they can consume and determine risks to their safety. It is also applicable in expression and communication; libertarianism upholds that an individual should be entitled freedom of expression and they have a right to oppose government regulation and control of media of communication (Hospers, 2007). Libertarians favor freedom also advocate that it is an individual’s choice to get engaged in religious activities of their own choice that do not violate their rights. Therefore they oppose any actions of the government on view of religion (Hospers, 2007). This perspective is also applied in privacy where individuals’ privacy is being advocated and the government’s act of spying is being opposed and people are being protected from unreasonable search and seizure. Libertarianism can also be applied in personal relationships; this ensures that sexual preference, orientation, or gender identity should not affect the way the government treats individuals. The government has no power to define or restrict personal relationships. This perspective is applied on matters of abortion and the government is required not to involve in the matter, leaving the discussion for people basing on their consideration (Hospers, 2007). It is applied in crime and justice; with libertarians, the government plays a role of protecting the rights of all individuals which include liberty, life and property. Criminal laws should be brought in case the rights of some individuals. Libertarianism is also applied in self defense in that the government is expected to only use force in defending rights of individuals.

            Libertarians have also applied this sociological philosophy in economic liberty with a desire that all members of the society should enjoy opportunities in abundance in order to attain economic success. Under economic liberty, libertarians advocate for property rights as a fundamental tool in maintaining prosperity in the society (Hospers, 2007). Libertarians had a tendency of getting back the people’s property to them such that they all enjoy property right provided those choices did not harm other people’s rights. This philosophy is also applied in defending the rights of people on environment. Libertarians emphasize that all people receive healthy and clean environment. They also emphasize that the natural resources are sensibly used (Duignan, 2013). The government is responsible of protecting the environment from any unnecessary damages. Libertarians hold the concern that the change in the planet’s climate is as a result of environmental abuse thus they advocate for environmental conservation all over. Libertarians also emphasize that energy and resources should be supplied equally according to the needs of people in the society and thus the government should not consider subsidizing a particular form of energy (Duignan, 2013). There are also emphasis on government finance and spending and every person is entitled to fruitful labor. The libertarians view is to abolish income tax, internal revenue services. They oppose legal requirements that may need employers to act as tax collectors to protect the future of the citizens; libertarians discourage the public from incurring debts which can cost the citizens. They are in support of amendment of a balanced budget in the constitution and it should be exclusively raising taxes or cutting expenditures.

            Libertarianism is also applied in money and financial markets in favor of free market banking which does not restrict competition among depository institutions and banks (Duignan, 2013). The libertarians also support free markets and people are recommended to form corporations and other entities that support voluntary association. They oppose the acts of the government to subsidies other businesses in favor of other and giving other business the first priority over the others. Libertarianism is also applicable in labor markets and libertarians normally exclude the government from the employer and employee dealings of the private sector and the contracts within the private sector should not be tempered-with by the government (Duignan, 2013). According to their view, private employers and employees need to have their own choice to bargain or not to, through labor union. This perspective is also applied in the education set up and they believe that education is a parental responsibility which may not require interference from the government. Therefore, parents should be responsible of controlling for the their expenses on their children

            The perspective of libertarianism is also applied in matters of security and the government is supposed to play a role of protecting the rights of individuals in all endeavors (Duignan, 2013). Security involves national defense and with it libertarians support the maintenance of the military to defend and protect the citizens of the United States from all aggressions. There is internal security that concentrates on the defense of the country and the protection of individual rights and the libertarians maintain that there should be enough intelligence to ensure that domestic threats are being minimized with civil liberty of the citizens being observed and maintained (Duignan, 2013). There is international affairs which protects the lives citizens by seeking peace with the rest of the countries in the world for safety of the citizens. Lastly, there is free trade and migration where libertarians advocate for the removal of barrier to allow citizens carry out trade with the outside nations without restrictions.

References

Brennan, Jason. Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know. , 2012. Print.

Hospers, John. Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow. New York: Authors Choice Press, 2007. Print.

Duignan, Brian. The Science and Philosophy of Politics. New York: Britannica Educational Pub. in association with Rosen Educational Services, 2013. Internet resource.