2.2: Libertarianism as an Alternative Approach to the Question of Rights
Watch this lecture until 27:20. Sandel introduces the position of libertarianism as an alternative to utilitarianism. Notice that the everyday understanding of libertarianism may or may not match what philosophers mean by libertarianism: while there is a libertarian political party in the United States, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines libertarianism as a specific moral or ethical view, which assumes that agents have self-ownership and the freedom to acquire property rights and external goods and status. We have just seen how Mill argues that we should respect individual rights because it is good for the whole of society in the long run. In other words, Mill holds that individual rights are to be valued for their utility. Libertarianism, by contrast, assigns a more fundamental role to individual rights, holding that they should be valued in and of themselves, and because of this, the state should be limited in its power to restrict our right to individual liberty.
2.2.1: Milton Friedman and Individual Freedom
Read this article, which provides an overview of Milton Friedman's life, his economic theory, and his political positions.
Read this article, which also shows the relation between Milton Friedman's economic theories and broader ethical matters.
2.2.2: Rights, Taxes, and the Redistribution of Wealth
Watch the rest of this lecture, from 27:21 to the end. As you watch, consider if taxation is an obligation that we have to our fellow citizens to bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number, or if it is instead an unwarranted violation of our individual rights. In this lecture, Sandel introduces the question of taxation as a test for the libertarian view of individual rights. Taxation is a case in which the state redistributes property (money) throughout society.
2.2.3: From Economic to Philosophical Arguments for Libertarianism: Robert Nozick
Robert Nozick offered philosophical arguments defending the same type of freedom Friedman advocates. Notice that he is critical of utilitarianism.
Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Nozick's most influential work, offers his suggestion of the best type of government. List the ways Nozick's ideal government would differ from Plato's.