Philosophical differences between political families

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Philosophical differences between political families

Freedom: principle or opportunity?

If we compare the different political families, we can see that there are possible similarities, but also points of incompatibility. This is particularly true when we compare libertarians with other ideological profiles. Let's analyze these divergences using a few philosophical concepts.

Freedom: principle or opportunity?

To clear up this confusion, we'll outline 3 conceptions of freedom.

For conservatives, freedom is a good thing, but too much freedom creates chaos and disorder. So freedom has to be limited and framed.

For them, freedom is not a fundamental principle, but a matter of expediency. For example, a conservative who denounces laws punishing homophobic speech will not necessarily be in favor of legalizing drugs or eliminating family subsidies.

Socialists can also advocate the introduction of this or that freedom on an ad hoc, opportunistic and selective basis. But for them, this is not the application of a general decision-making principle. They may seek to force individuals to leave their roots, just as conservatives seek to force them to stay.
For libertarians, freedom is a general principle of decision and action. A libertarian is a radical defender of individual freedom and property rights, seeking to minimize state intervention and opposing all forms of state-imposed social constructivism. Although the strength of the principle of freedom may vary between anarcho-capitalists (who refuse to bend any rules) and classical liberals (who have a more nuanced discourse), the principle is always the same: privatize everything that can be privatized.

This opposition between political families was already present - in different words - in Gustave Molinari's Les Soirées de la rue Saint Lazare. This book, published in 1849 by a disciple of Frédéric Bastiat, features three characters: the socialist, the conservative and the economist. The character known as the economist is in fact a liberal, in the classical sense of the word; today, we would say a libertarian.

In these dialogues devised by Molinari, the economist (liberal/libertarian) always opposes the socialist and the conservative. He insists on showing that their positions are not fundamentally different. Indeed, for Molinari, conservatives and socialists have one thing in common: they seek to impose their vision of society through the state.

Quiz

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According to Gustave Molinari's analysis in 'Les Soirées de la rue Saint Lazare' (eng. Evenings on Saint Lazarus Street), what fundamental similarity exists between conservatives and socialists despite their apparent ideological differences?