Freedom Realized: Dr. Tom G. Palmer and Libertarianism Explained
It should be noted that the Wabash Conservative Union consists of a hodgepodge of individuals with differing ideas on what constitutes “conservatism.” With a group consisting of neoconservatives, paleoconservatives, social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, and libertarians, we often have our disagreements on a wide range of topics. Yet, I feel that we all joined the Wabash Conservative Union for the same reason William F. Buckley Jr. created the National Review: to “stand athwart history yelling, Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.”
That being said, one of the less well known (and least understood) political philosophies that has become synonymous with classical liberalism is growing with popularity around the world. It places it a strong emphasis on limited government, free markets / trade, individualism, and liberty. Libertarianism is not just a political stance one takes, but rather it is an epistemological outlook on the world. Individuals who have taken this stance are often labeled by critics of libertarianism as “radicals” and / or reactionary. Yet, libertarians respond that the United States was founded on libertarian principles. The Constitution defined a limited role for the federal government, a government that was much more limited than it is today. Although the libertarian vision harkens back to the spirit of the foundation of this country, it is by no means backward looking or reactionary. By promoting the ideas of libertarianism, the extension of individual liberty and the proliferation of free trade promises a world where personal liberty is limited only by preventing damage to other people or their property.
Since libertarianism is often misunderstood, misrepresented, and dismissed, many individuals have come forward to stand in its defense. One such person is Dr. Tom G. Palmer, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. Born in Germany, Dr. Palmer has been very active in promoting libertarian principles worldwide. He received his B.A. in liberal arts from St. John’s College, his M.A. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, and his doctorate in political science from Oxford University. He was very active in the late 1980s and the early 1990s in the spread of classical liberal ideas in the Soviet bloc states and their successors. He continues to be active throughout the region through his work with the Cato Institute. Dr. Palmer is currently attempting to replicate in the Middle East some of the work he did in Eastern Europe. He has commissioned the translation into Middle Eastern languages and the publication of works by various libertarians / classical liberals such as Frederic Bastiat, F. A. Hayek, and James Madison. He has a personal blog (tomplamer.com) in which he writes extensively about various topics ranging from his many projects on spreading liberty around the world to current political and economic events.
On December 10, the Wabash Conservative Union will be hosting Dr. Palmer who will be giving a talk on his recently published book Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice. In an interview with Reason magazine, Dr. Palmer described his book as “a presentation of a coherent picture of libertarian ideas with two elements: to respond to [the critics of libertarianism….The other element is that liberty is about doing. It is about implementing freedom. It’s about realizing freedom, not just talking about it. It’s about going out and doing the hard work in changing the world, getting world to realize a more free, a more just society.” Consisting of a series of essays written over the course of two decades, Dr. Palmer presents the theory, history, and practice of libertarianism.
Dr. Palmer explains libertarian theory in a series of chapters devoted to the definition of freedom, clearing up the myths of individualism and the market, justice, rights theory, and the role of institutions and law in economics development. According to Palmer, “the rule of law is the key to freedom.” This has been repeated throughout the ages by classical liberal philosophers and can best be summarized by Frederic Bastiat in The Law: “Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it is the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place…The nature of law is to maintain justice... [by] preventing injustice from reigning.” This is the notion of negative liberty, which is the idea that the people have the freedom from interference by other people. This is the opposite of positive liberty which refers to having the power and resources to act to fulfill one’s own potential. It is interested in action by citizens within the government. These two definitions of liberty have been in conflict with one another for centuries. Palmer seeks to clear up the distortion by using logic to clarify the complexities that surround the debate. Palmer quotes Kant in saying that, “Every action which by itself or by its maxim enables the freedom of each individual’s will to –coexist with freedom of everyone else in accordance with a universal law is right.” Palmer states that, “I have a right to those actions that are compatible with the equal freedom of all others; the sum total of those parts yields justice.”
The history of libertarianism is also discussed, where Palmer traces it from ancient civilizations to the classical liberal thinkers of the Enlightenment to the present day. He starts out by examining the roots of civil society and how it relates to the individual, the community, and, justice. Palmer also explores the history of limited government throughout the past and how its effects lead to order, stability, and justice. He concludes the history section with a section reminding us the collapse of the socialist Eastern European states, most notably the Union of Soviet and Socialist Republics, and why it collapsed.
The final section of the book deals with the practice of libertarianism, where Palmer examines the current world and seeks to illustrate how liberty can be achieved. He investigates the role of culture, globalism, whether or not infrastructures should be public or private, taxes, and the challenges of democratization. The book concludes with a section devoted to the literature of libertarianism, highlighting notable contemporary classical liberals and libertarians of all stripes from Murray Rothbard, F.A. Hayek, Ludwig Von Mises, Ayn Rand, and Robert Nozick.
Devoted to the cause of spreading liberty around the world, Dr. Tom G. Palmer has dedicated a great deal of his life in making sure that the tenants of libertarianism do not perish in apathy, but rather are preserved and strengthened by allowing others to learn and experience it. On December 10, the Wabash Conservative Union will be hosting Dr. Palmer in order to help further his quest in making sure that the ideas behind liberty are still active in the minds of younger generations.
Related posts:
