This is an outdated version published on 2022-06-23. Read the most recent version.

Does Libertarian Self-Ownership Protect Freedom?

Authors

Jesper Ahlin Marceta Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/de-ethica.2001-8819.227119

Abstract

Many libertarians assume that there is a close relation between an individual’s self-ownership and her freedom. That relation needs questioning. In this article it is argued that, even in a pre-property state, self-ownership is insufficient to protect freedom. Therefore, libertarians who believe in self-ownership should either offer a defense of freedom that is independent from their defense of self-ownership, make it explicit that they hold freedom as second to self-ownership (and defend that position), or reconsider the moral basis of their political views.

References

Agnafors, M. (2015). Self-Ownership, the Conflation Problem, and Presumptive Libertarianism: Can the Market Model Support Libertarianism, Rather Than the Other Way Around? Libertarian Papers 7(2), 97–124.

Arneson, R. J. (2010). Self-Ownership and World Ownership: Against Left-Libertarianism. Social Philosophy and Policy 27(1), 168–194.

Arneson, R. J. (2011). Side Constraints, Lockean Individual rights, and the Moral Basis of Libertarianism. I Bader, R. M., & Meadowcroft, J. (Red.) The Cambridge Com-panion to Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia (s 15–37). Cambridge University Press.

Arneson, R. J. (2018). Democracy Versus Libertarianism. In Brennan, J., van der Vossen, B., & Schmidtz, D. (Eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Libertarianism (pp. 53–67). Routledge.

Attas, D. (2000). Self-ownership and freedom. Social Theory and Practice 26(1), 1–23.

Barrotta, P. 1996. A Neo-Kantian Critique of Von Mises’s Epistemology. Economics and Philosophy 12(1), 51–66.

Berlin, I. (1969). Two Concepts of Liberty. In Berlin, I., Four Essays on Liberty. Ox-ford University Press.

Brennan, J., & van der Vossen, B. (2018). The Myths of the Self-Ownership Thesis. In Brennan, J., van der Vossen, B., & Schmidtz, D. (Eds.). The Routledge Hand-book of Libertarianism (pp. 199–211). Routledge.

Bornschein, P. (2018). The Self-Ownership Proviso: A Critique. Politics, Philosophy & Economics 17(4), 339–355.

Carter, I. (2016). Positive and Negative Liberty. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philos-ophy. Retrieved (2021-03-08) from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberty-positive-negative/

Cohen, G. A. (1995). Self-Ownership, Freedom, and Equality. Cambridge University Press.

Cudd, A. E. (2018). Feminism and Libertarian Self-Ownership. In Brennan, J., van der Vossen, B., & Schmidtz, D. (Eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Libertari-anism (pp. 127–139). Routledge.

Eabrasu, M. (2013). Rothbard’s and Hoppe’s justifications of libertarianism: A critique. Politics, Philosophy & Economics 12(3), 288– 307.

Epstein, R. (1998). Principles for a Free Society: Reconciling Individual Liberty with the Common Good. Basic Books.

Frederick, D. (2013). Hoppe’s Derivation of Self-Ownership from Argumentation: Analysis and Critique. Reason Papers 35(1), 92–106.

Fried, B. H. (2004). Left-Libertarianism: A Review Essay. Philosophy & Public Af-fairs 32(1), 66–92.

Hoppe, H. H. (2006). The Economics and Ethics of Private Property: Studies in Political Economy and Philosophy. Ludwig von Mises Institute.

Huemer, M. (2013). The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey. Palgrave Macmillan.

Kinsella, S. (1996). Punishment and Proportionality: The Estoppel Approach. Jour-nal of Libertarian Studies 12(1), 51–73.

Libertarian Party. (n.d.) 2020 Platform. Retrieved (2021-03-08) from: https://www.lp.org/platform/

Lippert-Rasmussen, K. (2008). Against Self-Ownership: There Are No Fact-Insensitive Ownership Rights over One’s Body. Philosophy & Public Affairs 36(1), 86–118.

Lovett, F. (2018). Republicanism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved (2021-03-08) from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/republicanism/

Mack, E. (1995). The Self-Ownership Proviso: A New and Improved Lockean Pro-viso. Social Philosophy and Policy 12(1), 186–218.

Mack, E. (2002a). Self-Ownership, Marxism, and Egalitarianism: Part I: Challenges to Historical Entitlement. Politics, Philosophy and Economics 1(1), 75–108.

Mack, E. (2002b). Self-Ownership, Marxism, and Egalitarianism: Part II: Challenges to the Self-Ownership Thesis. Politics, Philosophy and Economics 1(2), 237–276.

Murphy, R. P., & Callahan, G. (2006). Hans-Hermann Hoppe’s Argumentation Ethic: A Critique. Journal of Libertarian Studies 20(2), 53–64.

Narveson, J. (2001 [1988]). The Libertarian Idea. Broadview Press Ltd.

Nozick, R. (1974). Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Blackwell Publishing.

Pettit, P. (2014). Just Freedom: A Moral Compass for a Complex World. W. W. Norton & Company.

Rothbard, M. (1998 [1982]). The Ethics of Liberty. New York University Press.

Rothbard, M. (2006 [1973]). For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto. Ludwig von Mises Institute.

Russell, D. (1955). Who Is a Libertarian? Foundation for Economic Education. Re-trieved (2021-03-09) from: https://fee.org/articles/who-is-a-libertarian/

Skinner, Q. (2002). A Third Concept of Liberty. Proceedings of the British Academy 117, 237–268.

Sobel, D. (2012). Backing Away from Libertarian Self-Ownership. Ethics 123(1), 32–60.

Sobel, D. (2013). Self-Ownership and the Conflation Problem. In Simmons, M. (Ed.). Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics, Vol. 3 (pp. 98–122). Oxford University Press.

Vallentyne, P., Steiner, H., & Otsuka, M. (2005). Why Left-Libertarianism Is Not Incoherent, Indeterminate, or Irrelevant: A Reply to Fried. Philosophy & Public Affairs 33(2), 201–215.

van der Vossen, B. (2019). Libertarianism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved (2021-03-08) from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/libertarianism/