Commentary thread for "You might be a libertarian if…"

[Darth Xena]

What the scores are suppose to mean:
http://www.bcaplan.com/cgi-bin/purity.cgi?vm=r

He explains them on that page. It is degrees of libertarianism in Caplan's opinion. It isn't meant to be entirely serious.

[Darth Xena]

122, fascinating....

Even though I have leaned away from Libertarianism, guess I still persist in some of it, heh.

122 is pretty high. Higher than most of my LP friends. Higher than I got when I first took it. I was pretty solid around 90

[rogue06]

He explains them on that page. It is degrees of libertarianism in Caplan's opinion. It isn't meant to be entirely serious.

And we know what opinions are like

[Darth Xena]

41

31-50 points: Your libertarian credentials are obvious. Doubtlessly you will become more extreme as time goes on.

Understand the political spectrum:

<The extreme left is total government control----------the extreme right is anarchy>

A lot of people dispute that left/right paradigm and say both ends are statist positions and that anarchy is "north" right at the point of the middle. There are leftist anarchists. The violent ones come from that strand usually.

I am an NAP anarchist, meaning, I hold to the libertarian non-aggression principle. My hatred of the state is not a dislike of authority per se, it is opposition to non-voluntaryism.

[Darth Xena]

And we know what opinions are like

It is just his opinion, though I don't find anything to dispute. One can dispute if being more extreme is desirable or not, but the levels themselves are pretty straightforward.

[thewriteranon]

I scored 155.

[Darth Xena]

I scored 155.

Which one did you say no to?

[rogue06]

It is just his opinion, though I don't find anything to dispute. One can dispute if being more extreme is desirable or not, but the levels themselves are pretty straightforward.

It seemed far more geared to anarchism than libertarianism and IMHO anarchists are generally opposed to all forms of government unless they can be in charge. Then the tune changes.

[thewriteranon]

Which one did you say no to?

Vigilante justice. It's left too undefined and I tend to err on the side of nonviolence.

[Darth Xena]

It seemed far more geared to anarchism than libertarianism

Because Caplan believes, as do I, that anarchism is the most extreme form of libertarianism. NAP-anarchism isn't outside of libertarianism, it is a subgroup of it.

and IMHO anarchists are generally opposed to all forms of government unless they can be in charge. Then the tune changes.

Yes, please tell us what we believe. We LOVE that.

No, NAP-anarchists (i.e. voluntaryists) are NOT opposed to government. We are opposed to the State. There is a difference. And to claim the tune would change with voluntaryists is to simply smear a whole group of people. None that I know feel that way.. and since voluntaryism hasn't been the way of a society, there is not even statistical evidence to point to.

[Darth Xena]

Vigilante justice. It's left too undefined and I tend to err on the side of nonviolence.

I thought so, that is what most people answer no too. I waffle there. A lot is undefined in a short quiz, and knowing Caplan, I kinda know where he is coming from. I err on the side of total nonviolence, I am a pacifist, but being as that is a religious decision and not a political one.. I could see how, if the rest of the anarchist suppositions of that section are taken... that would logically follow, but I could easily answer no to that as well. So I am a 155 or 160 depending on the day.

[thewriteranon]

I thought so, that is what most people answer no too. I waffle there. A lot is undefined in a short quiz, and knowing Caplan, I kinda know where he is coming from. I err on the side of total nonviolence, I am a pacifist, but being as that is a religious decision and not a political one.. I could see how, if the rest of the anarchist suppositions of that section are taken... that would logically follow, but I could easily answer no to that as well. So I am a 155 or 160 depending on the day.

I'm not 100% pacifist but I'm pretty close, for religious reasons more than political reasons as well.

[Darth Xena]

I'm not 100% pacifist but I'm pretty close, for religious reasons more than political reasons as well.

I just recently took this position, and it is challenging. The events of Paris are testing it sorely.

[Sparko]

LOL so how long has it been since you unfollowed me on FB?

Not sure I understand though ... I didn't become an alien. I do the same the things I did before:).

I assume you mean politically? And that remains the same. If I can work to drastically reduce the state via political means I do. Very active in the LP. Part of a primarily anarchist caucus.

I still follow you on FB, but I don't have much time to read everything and you post a LOT of stuff there (sometimes like 20 or more posts per day), so most of it I just skim over and click on the interesting sounding stuff.

I just thought anarchists don't want any structured society at all. Just a "everyone for himself" thing.

[Darth Xena]

I still follow you on FB, but I don't have much time to read everything and you post a LOT of stuff there (sometimes like 20 or more posts per day), so most of it I just skim over and click on the interesting sounding stuff.

I just thought anarchists don't want any structured society at all. Just a "everyone for himself" thing.

I am more technically a voluntaryist which is a type of anarchist. In some sense it is "everyone for himself" in that, it is that everyone must choose for himself and that no one can choose for them other than the general ethical imperative of non-aggression. So, one could choose to organize with others in very structured ways. Libertarian anarchists are not opposed to government, we are opposed to the state.

Simplified states are coercively funded and hold a monopoly in enforcement with forced participation. Governments do not.

So if all state services become funded voluntarily or through user fees that would be a lot closer to an anarchistic government. If they still maintained a monopoly on courts, defense, and police, then they would remain a very small state.

Many libertarians claim to be minarchists while holding only to voluntary funding and competing agencies. That is not minarchy, that is anarchy.