Are Some People Too Dumb to Understand Libertarianism?
by Michael Cloud
"Most of the people I talk with are too stupid to understand libertarianism," said Robert X (a real person). "I explain the Non-Aggression Axiom, show why it is and must be the starting point of all political discussions, then rationally and logically derive the proper principles of politics, and then..."
This libertarian held his note longer than Pavarotti. He spoke in high-level abstractions -- and talked in paragraphs.
But he was smart, thoughtful, and knowledgeable.
He wasn't the first libertarian to make this complaint.
Are some people too dumb to grasp libertarianism? Of course. Some people are too dumb to grasp calculus, quantum physics, Austrian economics, computer programming, engineering, epistemology, and formal logic. Others are too dumb to master carpentry, management, football strategy, gourmet cooking, Nascar racing, entrepreneurship, small business, or bartending.
Each of us is bright in a few areas, average or dim in many, and in total darkness in more than a few.
Take calculus. Maybe you can't grasp it. But you do understand addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If you're not familiar with algebra or geometry, you could learn them. And even if you never learn calculus or trigonometry, you probably have more than enough mathematics knowledge for your life decisions.
It's the same way with libertarianism. Tom Paine, Frederic Bastiat, and Henry Hazlitt are engaging and readable -- and easy to understand. So are Leonard Read, Harry Browne, and -- Michael Cloud. Popularizers.
Just as there is higher math, there is higher libertarianism. "Anarchy, State, and Utopia" by Robert Nozick, "The Libertarian Idea" by Jan Narveson, or "Crisis and Leviathan" by Robert Higgs. Academics.
Some libertarians try to communicate academic libertarianism before offering popular libertarianism. They fail. And blame it on the listeners.
I suggested that Robert X expose his friends to shirtsleeves libertarianism. To engaging and readable freedom books and essays. To the Advocates for Self-Government Web sites:
theadvocates.org
and
libertarianism.com
To the Center for Small Government Web site:
centerforsmallgovernment.com. |
