Witnessing Libertarianism Efficiently

The two-dimensional graph breaks out of the left-right false dichotomy that is prevalent in political discourse. It makes clear that the real issue is not what kind of statism you want, right or left, but how much freedom you want.

At any rate, the Quiz has been used on dozens of thousands of people to help them determine where they really are located on the political area, not where they think they are. Many people have discovered their libertarianism through it. There is a clear relation between their answers and their position on the graph. As a simple URL to send people to tell them "test what you really are", or as part of an outreach campaign, the Quiz can be used by everyone.

Browne's Question is the name I give to Harry Browne's campaign question during the 1996 presidential race :

"Are you willing to give up your favorite government program if it means you will never have to pay income taxes for the rest of your life?". To this he would also add : "or if it means your children will never have to pay income tax".

Harry Browne has a lot of tips for witnessing libertarianism, some of which he gives in a useful article called "Be an Effective Salesman of Liberty". In this article, he lists the "7 principles about government" (a longer copy of which you can read in "The 7 Vital Principles about Government"), 7 questions to ask people based on these principles, how to frame issues based on people's self-interest, and how to paint a picture of a libertarian America. His methods are formulated for Americans, but may be modified for your needs.

Here is an example he gives. As regards to health care, one can appeal to the person's self-interest as such :

Your parents are being forced into a program where they and their doctor have less and less control over their own lives - and they're paying too much for health care. Your parents or their doctor could go to jail for unintentionally disobeying a Medicare regulation.

And one may then paint a picture of a libertarian outcome like this :

Getting government out of health care will give you lower costs, easier access to medical care, better insurance that's less expensive. A hospital stay might cost you a day's pay instead of two week's pay. And doctors would be able to make house

The copyright of the article Witnessing Libertarianism Efficiently in Libertarian Philosophy is owned by Francois Tremblay. Permission to republish Witnessing Libertarianism Efficiently in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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