I’ve been following with interest Will Wilkinson’s writing about libertarian democracy skepticism and the reach of its influence on the Republican party today.
Any ideology best shows its fundamental defects when the conception of The Human necessary to its coherence fails to match actual humans. The non-contractual nature of our literally original connexions to our parents and siblings and extended family, and the circumstances of our births induce epicyicles amongst the Libertarians. For these, for example, they must take refuge either in what I'll call 'vulgar Coaseanism', that is that these do not matter, which has been shown to be false only everywhere and always, or in the decidedly non-individualist 'Your circumstances and your family‘s would be the results of their actions within the Market and they would act to improve things as much as possible for you.' when that outcome is, unfortunately, at best only a most-desired good among their many.
Rothbard would have you believe we’re all like Tarzan, castaways with deceased parents, raised in the jungle — a fiction.
Any ideology best shows its fundamental defects when the conception of The Human necessary to its coherence fails to match actual humans. The non-contractual nature of our literally original connexions to our parents and siblings and extended family, and the circumstances of our births induce epicyicles amongst the Libertarians. For these, for example, they must take refuge either in what I'll call 'vulgar Coaseanism', that is that these do not matter, which has been shown to be false only everywhere and always, or in the decidedly non-individualist 'Your circumstances and your family‘s would be the results of their actions within the Market and they would act to improve things as much as possible for you.' when that outcome is, unfortunately, at best only a most-desired good among their many.