Because many libertarians came to their philosophy
from the Right they often bring with them a style of discussion that betrays
their roots. While their position may be correct philosophically the way in which they express
themselves conveys meanings they may not intend, alienating the people they are
hoping to address.
Libertarians believe in individual rights. I have no
problem with that. Rights reside entirely with the individual. There is no such
thing as collective rights, just the rights of the individual. So it would seem
logical for a libertarian to shun terms like “woman’s rights” or “gay rights”
or “minority rights,” etc.
We should be clear that people use the term “rights”
in two different ways, and without clarifying which one is using can lead to
unnecessary confusion. When a libertarian says that someone has “rights” they
are referring to the ideal situation, not to the actual situation. It is to the
libertarian vision of individual rights that they are referring.
