<![CDATA[
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#CC0000" alink="#CC0000"><center><hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade>Is the libertarian position really as extreme as it is generally thought?<hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade><p><a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/ChicagoBook.aspx?ISBN=9780877225690&&PRESS=temple" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><img src="495_reg.gif" height=200 border=1 vspace=4></p></center><!--none//--><h1>The Libertarian Idea</h1>
<h3>Jan Narveson</h3>
<P>cloth 0-87722-569-9 $39.95, Nov 88, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Out of Print</FONT>
<br>paper 1-56639-008-7 $19.95, Oct 92, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Out of Print</FONT>
<BR> 416 pp
6x9
</P><BLOCKQUOTE><I>"Producers and consumers of theory of justice literature should read this book. It is a major work...both libertarianism and welfare state liberalism are articulated and put to the test by Narveson. The book is well written, and quite funny, and is therefore suitable for classroom use."</I>
<br>—<b><I>The Journal of Politics</I></b><I></I></BLOCKQUOTE>
<p>In his analysis of the philosophy of libertarianism, Jan Narveson distinguishes it from conservatism, with which it is often confounded, and asks if the libertarian position is really as extreme as is generally thought. A controversial theory that equates moral legitimacy with maximum individual freedom, libertarianism appears to have radical social and political implications. In his discussion of the essentials of libertarian theory, Narveson weighs major arguments that have been advanced for and against it and considers the difficulties encountered in applying the principle to real-life situations and in the formulation of public policy.
<p>Libertarianism, as understood in current moral and political philosophy, is the doctrine that the only relevant consideration in political matters is individual liberty—insofar as it does not infringe on another person�s individual liberty. Asserting that this is the pure form of liberalism, the author provides an exposition and defense of the coherence of libertarian theory and examines the question of its foundations. After addressing the questions "Is libertarianism possible?" and "Is libertarianism rational?" in the first two parts of the book, the author considers how the theory could be applied to matters of policy. Treating such diverse issues as abortion, the rights of children, public education, freedom of speech, the legalization of drugs, public property and zoning laws, discrimination in hiring, and questions of defense and international relations, he shows both the merits and the limitations of the position. Throughout, Narveson employs the contractarian approach.
<BR> <h2>Reviews</h2>
<p><I>"An original and well-rounded contribution to two growing traditions: libertarianism and contractarianism. As such, it should be of considerable general interest among political philosophers. Its originality is equally evident in its style of exposition, its argumentative strategy, and the conclusions reached, combining to an uncommon degree an acute understanding of high-level moral theory with a serious concern for how this bears on concrete social policy. In short, it is a thoroughly challenging and quite engaging book."</I>
<br>—<b><I>Canadian Journal of Philosophy</I></b>
<p><I>"This book is indeed a major contribution to the philosophical controversy over libertarianism. It ranks in importance with Nozick's [</I>Anarchy, State, and Utopia<I>], [and] John Rawlins's </I>A Theory of Justice<I>."</I>
<br>—<b><I>Liberty</I></b>
<p><I>"Narveson has written an original and important book that opponents of libertarianism will have to study and that libertarians will enjoy studying. No one who reads it can fail to be provoked and enlightened."</I>
<br>—<b><I>Reason Papers</I></b>
p><I>"[In] Narveson's new, bold, and highly readable book...he aims, quite simply, to provide the secure foundations that libertarianism apparently lacks."</I>
<br>—<b><I>Canadian Philosophical Review</I></b>
<p><I>"This is a scholarly, well-thought-out book by someone who knows the current scholarly literature as well as knowing his way around thoroughly in ethics and social philosophy."</I>
<br>—<b>John Hospers</b>, University of Southern California
<p><I>"Narveson provides an original contribution to philosophy. He raises three principal questions about libertarianism. First, is it possible? Second, what are the policy implications of libertarianism? And third, is libertarianism rational? ... A relevant and stimulating discussion."</I>
<br>—<b>David Gauthier</b>, University of Pittsburgh
<BR> <h2>Contents</h2><P>
<p>Preface
<p><b>Part I: Is Libertarianism Possible?</b>
<br>Prologue: The Knock at the Door
<p>1. Liberalism, Conservatism, Libertarianism
<br><I>A Preliminary Definition •
Liberal/Conservative •
Left, Center, Right •
Liberal Individualism as One Kind of Conservatism</I>
<p>2. Liberty
<br><I>Another Preliminary Definition •
The Subject of Liberty •
Liberty and Autonomy •
The Nonatomic Individual •
What Is Liberty? •
Liberty: Freedom to Bring About •
Freedom From and Freedom To •
Utter Freedom •
Interferences: Where the Action Is</I>
<p>3. Liberty: Negative versus Positive
<br><I>Negative and Positive Liberty: Freedom versus Power •
Lack of Desire: A Constraint? •
Lack of Reason: Another Constraint? •
Our Subject: Social Freedom •
A Note on Slavery •
Is �Positive Liberty� Liberty?</I>
<p>4. Two Conceptions of Liberty as a Social Concern
<br><I>The Two Ideas •
What Constitutes Interference? •
Coercion •
Pressuring •
Interference versus Nonassistance</I>
<p>5. Rights
<br><I>Rights Defined •
Rights and Duties: Definition or Mere Correlation? •
Rights without Duties? So-called �Liberty Rights� •
Duties without Rights? Rights, Duties, and Justice •
Duties to No One in Particular? •
Enforceability •
Enforcement and Force •
A Paradox: My Freedom Is Your Unfreedom? •
Rights Prima Facie or Rights Absolute? •
�Side Constraints� •
�General� and �Particular� • �Natural� and �Conventional� •
Negative versus Positive Rights •
Negative versus Positive Rights to Liberty •
Libertarianism and Negative Rights</I>
<p>6. Liberty and Property
<br><I>How Liberty and Property Are Related •
Property Rights •
Property in Oneself •
From Liberty to Property in Things •
Property Rights and the �Freedom Entails Unfreedom� Paradox</I>
<p>7. Initial Acquisition
<br><I>Getting Ownership Started •
Rights to Things Are Rights to Act •
Another �Libertarianism Restricts Liberty� Argument •
�Acquiring� Not an Act •
Arthur�s Argument: Acquisition as Harmful</I>
<p>8. Property Rights Concluded
<br><I>Transfer •
Equality •
Capitalist Rights Not to Be Capitalists •
Resources and Generational Considerations</I>
<p><b>Part II: Foundations: Is Libertarianism Rational?</b>
<p>9. lntroduction
<br><I>On �Foundations�� •
The Options</I>
<p>10. lntuitions in Moral Philosophy
<br><I>Two Kinds of Intuitionism •
Metaphysical Intuitionism •
Mysteriousness •
Futility •
Disagreement •
Society-Dependence •
Generality •
Importance •
Methodological Intuitionism •
Disagreement, Again •
Reflective Equilibrium •
The Practicality of Morals •
Moral �Science�?</I>
<p>11. Morality
<br><I>The Need for Clarity about Morality •
�Personal� versus �Social� Morality •
The Compleat Deontologist? •
Conventional versus Critical Morality</I>
<p>12. Contractarianism
<br><I>The Idea of the �Contract� Approach to Foundations •
Universality? •
Hobbes •
The Prisoner�s Dilemma •
The Sovereign •
Is Cooperation Possible? The Prisoner�s Dilemma •
Gauthier�s View •
Morality, the Real World, and Prisoner�s Dilemma •
Being Able to Complain</I>
<p>13. The Logic of Contractarianism
<br><I>The Basic Appeal •
The �Natural Law� •
A Note on Utilitarianism</I>
<p>14. Contractarianism to Libertarianism?
<br><I>The Project •
A Challenge •
The Road from Contractarianism to Libertarianism •
Values •
A False Start: Autonomy Generalized •
Another False Start: An Argument from �Survival� •
The Central Argument •
The Right to Liberty, Properly Grounded •
The Crucial Question •
Can We Improve on the Libertarian Option? •
Efficiency versus Justice? •
The Gospel According to St. Pareto</I>
<p><b>Part III: Libertarianism and Reality: What Does Libertarianism Imply about Concrete Social Policy?</b>
<p>15. Society and the Market
<br><I>The Free Market •
Market and Morals •
Two Views about Society and the Market •
Market Morality as a Public Good •
What Is Economic? •
Capitalism and Consumerism •
Information •
Perfect Competition •
A Question about Factor Rent</I>
<p>16. The State
<br><I>The State, Government, Public, Associations, Us •
A Note on Democracy •
The Down Side of Democracy •
Political Authority •
Authority and Coordination •
The Right to Protection •
Protection and Nozick's Argument for the State Law •
Enforcement and the Problem of Punishment •
Punishment: The Options •
Retribution •
The Deterrence/Protection Theory •
Restitution</I>
<p>17. Redistribution
<br><I>Redistribution and the State •
A Tale of Two Scrooges •
Public Goods Arguments •
A Note on the �Minimal State� •
A Tale of Three Rules about Mutual Aid •
A Note on Symphony Orchestras</I>
<p>18. Insurance Arguments and the Welfare State
<br><I>The Libertarian Reply •
Insurance and Charity •
Overwhelming Majorities and Administrative Overhead •
A Defense of Charity •
Duties of Charity •
The �Social Minimum�</I>
<p>19. The Problem of Children
<br><I>The Problem •
Nonfundamental Rights •
Children�s Rights •
Abortion and Infanticide</I>
<p>20. Freedom and Information
<br><I>Education: Should We Sell the Schools? •
The Orwin Thesis •
Knowledge •
Freedom of Speech and the Ideological Marketplace •
Pornography, Hate Literature, and the Like •
A Libertarian Postscript</I>
<p>21. The Public and Its Spaces
<br><I>"Public Property" •
Zoning Laws •
Rules, Regulations, and Bureaucrats •
Sell the Streets? •
On Discrimination in Hiring •
Discrimination, Inefficiency, and the Market •
The Public Sector</I>
<p>22. Defense and International Relations
<br><I>Libertarianism and War •
Foreign Policy toward Nonliberal States •
The Nonrevolutionist�s Evolutionist Handbook</I>
<p>Epilogue: Reflections on Libertarianism
<br><I>What Has Not Been Proven •
The Lure of Nationalism •
Privatization, Trivialization, and the Eternal Yuppie •
The Secular Problem of Evil •
Advice to Libertarian Political Parties •
Does It Matter? •
Concluding Note</I>
<p>Notes
<br>Bibliography
<br>Index
</P><BR> <H2>About the Author(s)</H2>
<P><b>Jan Narverson</b> is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.</P>
<BR><H2>Subject Categories</H2>
<p><A HREF="/tempress/philosophy.html" TARGET="_top">Philosophy and Ethics</a>
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<BR><h2 class="inpageheading">In the series</H2>
<P><I><a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress/ethics_action.html" onMouseOver="window.status='Click for other books in this series!'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" target="_top">Ethics and Action</a></i>, edited by Tom Regan.
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