Debate:Is libertarianism just ethical egoism repackaged?

From RationalWiki

Jump to: navigation, search
This is a Debate Page. Feel free to add your own spin on the story
But keep it civil or we will like totally do... something involving something that could be considered in some way hurtful. This Debate was created by Radioactive afikomen

I bring this up for debate because of a comment made by John Stossel in his book Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity. I don't remember the exact wording, but it was something along the lines of "Helping the poor should be a matter of choice. If you want to donate to charities, that's all well and fine, but don't force me to with Social Security." At the time it struck me as sounding suspiciously like ethical egoism. Thoughts?

I'm not sure how much "repackaging" is involved. I know that at the very least Randian libertarians explicitly embrace ethical egoism. Some others instead philosophically believe that any degree of coercion is unethical, and therefore while people should be altruistic, it is not acceptable to force altruism. That moves further away from the ethical egoism though. Researcher 17:59, 26 December 2007 (EST)
Well, it's repackaged in the sense that they're calling libertarianism rather than ethical egoism. Do you think ultra-right-wing militant groups would espouse belief in it if it was called "ethical egoism"? --Essayist RA Talk _Fruitcake! 18:05, 26 December 2007 (EST)
Retrieved from "http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Debate:Is_libertarianism_just_ethical_egoism_repackaged%3F"
Personal tools