A modest libertarian foundation in one minute

[PeaceRequiresAnarchy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQDFx-pmIM

Words excerpted from Prof. Michael Huemer's book The Problem of Political Authority (http://wp.me/p2cdsV-nY) (page 177):


Libertarian political philosophy rests on three broad ideas:

(1) A nonaggression principle in interpersonal ethics. Roughly, this is the idea that individuals should not attack, kill, steal from, or defraud one another and, in general, that individuals should not coerce one another, apart from a few special circumstances.

(2) A recognition of the coercive nature of government. When the state promulgates a law, the law is generally backed up by a threat of punishment, which is supported by credible threats of physical force directed against those who would disobey the state.

(3) A skepticism of political authority. The upshot of this skepticism is, roughly, that the state may not do what it would be wrong for any nongovernmental person or organization to do.

Chapter 1: http://spot.colorado.edu/~huemer/book3.htm

Buy it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1137281650/

[PeaceRequiresAnarchy]

Note: "It is the notion of authority that forms the true locus of dispute between libertarianism and other political philosophies. Libertarians are skeptical about political authority, whereas mast accept the state's authority in more or less the terms in which the state claims it. This is what enables most to endorse government behavior that would otherwise appear to violate individual rights: nonlibertarians assume that most of the moral constraints that apply to other agents do not apply to the state." --Michael Huemer, "The Problem of Political Authority" (p. 178)

[PeaceRequiresAnarchy]

Any feedback on the video would be appreciated. What do you like? What do you dislike? Is it just too dull? What could be improved? Thanks.

[PeaceRequiresAnarchy]

:-)