In chapter 15 of For A New Liberty, Rothbard discusses two extremes that can lead to defection from the libertarian movement:
1. gradualism of the the utilitarians
2. extremism of the sectarians.
The gradualist loses sight of the goal of ‘no state’ by conceding that some state is needed in the here and now.
The extremist or purist rejects any attempts to move toward the goal that are not complete and immediate.
The correct path, according to Rothbard, is to always keep sight on the goal and to not compromise in its attainment but to recognize that it will not likely be reached in a single bound.
When I read the following I couldn’t help think of the discussions surrounding Rand Paul’s announcement that he is running for president.
“For while libertarians have too often been opportunists who lose sight of or undercut their ultimate goal, some have erred in the opposite direction: fearing and condemning any advances toward the idea as necessarily selling out the goal itself. The tragedy is that these sectarians, in condemning all advances that fall short of the goal, serve to render vain and futile the cherished goal itself. For much as all of us would be overjoyed to arrive at total liberty at a single bound, the realistic prospects for such a mighty leap are limited. If social change is not always tiny and gradual, neither does it usually occur in a single leap. In rejecting any transitional approaches to the goal, then, these sectarian libertarians make it impossible for the goal itself ever to be reached. Thus, the sectarians can eventually be as fully “liquidationist” of the pure goal as the opportunists themselves.”
Will Rand Paul’s candidacy be good for the cause of libertarianism or will it have no effect or worse, set the movement back? In many ways Rand appears to be the utilitarian gradualist, but could he just be a stepping stone on the path to the true libertarian goal of a stateless society?
