Colin Bird on Libertarianism

Abstract

In this article, I delve into Colin Bird’s critical evaluation of libertarianism. Bird positions this strand within his broader framework of “liberal individualism,” and he contends that libertarianism, as a prime exemplar of liberal individualism, is inherently self-contradictory because of the perceived tension between self-ownership and individual inviolability. Employing logical and comparative analyses, this research rigorously examines the accuracy of Bird’s reconstruction and interpretation of libertarianism, while also assessing the validity of his assertion that libertarianism harbours internal contradictions. The findings suggest that Bird’s argument does not hold primarily due to misinterpreting the core tenets of libertarianism.

Keywords

• libertarianism
• self-ownership
• rights
• utilitarianism
• inviolability
• redistribution