Michael A Johnson wrote:
>
> Many on the list expouse libertarian views, in many ways so do I, however
> "Libertarianism" has come under sharp attack. In fact, many feel that is
> has been disproven and found untenable. This is why I feel the term
> "Libertarianism" cannot be used to describe Extropian political values.
> Yes, they both share some tennents, but if the Extropian movement is to
> advance it needs to develop its own strain of thought and vocabulary.
> Utilizing a different term instead of Libertarianism is a first step in
> building a new political/social construct. For those not familiar with the
> critique please look at the links below.
> http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~jah/politics/libcrit.short
> http://www.etsu.edu/philos/faculty/hugh/libertar.htm
>
I would love to know when and where libertarianism has ever been 'disproven' or found untenable. To my knowledge there has NEVER been a libertarian government since before our Civil War, however from my own perspective I can see that many of the reforms in the US government in the last decade which have made a positive difference in people's lives all originated as libertarian ideas... please educate us. The essays you link to are mere thought experiments.
Mike Lorrey