Libertarians , both left and right, are very much interested in freedom as their name suggests. Unfortunately, their version of freedom describes the ability of the individual to interact (or not) with others at a local level. But freedom is also emergent. It arises from the social structures that we belong and then becomes a property of the individual.
Let us look at an example from physics. The most common example here is that of the ideal gas law. Let us have a number of melecules of gas inside a container.
These molecules are free to move at any direction and because of that their movement is random. From a libertarian point of view, the molecule has complete freedom since it can "choose" (due to randomness) to go wherever it wants.
There are though two properties of the molecule that can not be conceptualized other than if we look at the container itself and the gas as a whole. First of all, the molecule cannot escape the container it is in. Second of all, the amount of collisions with other molecules is determined by the pressure , volume and temperature of the gas inside the container.
Neither the pressure , volume or temperature are properties of the molecule. They describe the macroscopic properties of the gas. But at the same time , they impose on the molecule an emergent notion of freedom which measures the probability of collisions with other molecules.
Now, if we return back to human beings and Society, we will see that emergent properties affect most of our lives.
Milton Friedman was one of the proponents of economic freedom, the ability of the individual to take economic actions, and the reduction of government intervention. Of course, the government never stopped to intervene in favor of the big Corporations but let us look at this theory at face value.
It is true that people can decide to work for someone or not. But the type of work, the wage, the conditions of work and the quality of the output is not decided by them. More importantly, unemployment is an emergent property of Capitalism. Unemployment leads to a reduction of wages that is necessary for profits. Hierarchical structures is also an emergent property of Capitalism derived due to the accumulation of wealth. The existence of the working class and the capitalist one is also an emergent property.
So despite having economic freedom, you are forced to live in poverty, work for low wages or be unemployed. If you work, you will take orders from someone in the hierarchy that is not more qualified than you. And you will be a worker for all your life , though you may believe in the American dream that you can become anything you want.
If we now look at the ideas of left libertarians, we will see that they make the same mistake that right wing ones do. They are talking about voluntary association which is indeed a good thing to have but they do not acknowledge freedom as also being an emergent property.
In this blog post, Heather Marsh discusses the evolution of Democracy and proposes that the future Society should be stigmergic. Stigmergy in general describes the indirect coordination and possible collaboration of many individuals. The main point here is that such a coordination is indirect instead of authoritarian. But as I pointed to her, stigmergy can be a good property to have but it is important to understand that it neither promotes freedom nor autonomy. At the microscopic level, you might think that you are free but at the macroscopic level, you are not.
In other words, left libertarians from a conceptual point of view do not differ from right wing ones, even if the one is pro-capitalist and the other anticapitalist.
Let us look at an example from physics. The most common example here is that of the ideal gas law. Let us have a number of melecules of gas inside a container.
These molecules are free to move at any direction and because of that their movement is random. From a libertarian point of view, the molecule has complete freedom since it can "choose" (due to randomness) to go wherever it wants.
There are though two properties of the molecule that can not be conceptualized other than if we look at the container itself and the gas as a whole. First of all, the molecule cannot escape the container it is in. Second of all, the amount of collisions with other molecules is determined by the pressure , volume and temperature of the gas inside the container.
Neither the pressure , volume or temperature are properties of the molecule. They describe the macroscopic properties of the gas. But at the same time , they impose on the molecule an emergent notion of freedom which measures the probability of collisions with other molecules.
Now, if we return back to human beings and Society, we will see that emergent properties affect most of our lives.
Milton Friedman was one of the proponents of economic freedom, the ability of the individual to take economic actions, and the reduction of government intervention. Of course, the government never stopped to intervene in favor of the big Corporations but let us look at this theory at face value.
It is true that people can decide to work for someone or not. But the type of work, the wage, the conditions of work and the quality of the output is not decided by them. More importantly, unemployment is an emergent property of Capitalism. Unemployment leads to a reduction of wages that is necessary for profits. Hierarchical structures is also an emergent property of Capitalism derived due to the accumulation of wealth. The existence of the working class and the capitalist one is also an emergent property.
So despite having economic freedom, you are forced to live in poverty, work for low wages or be unemployed. If you work, you will take orders from someone in the hierarchy that is not more qualified than you. And you will be a worker for all your life , though you may believe in the American dream that you can become anything you want.
If we now look at the ideas of left libertarians, we will see that they make the same mistake that right wing ones do. They are talking about voluntary association which is indeed a good thing to have but they do not acknowledge freedom as also being an emergent property.
In this blog post, Heather Marsh discusses the evolution of Democracy and proposes that the future Society should be stigmergic. Stigmergy in general describes the indirect coordination and possible collaboration of many individuals. The main point here is that such a coordination is indirect instead of authoritarian. But as I pointed to her, stigmergy can be a good property to have but it is important to understand that it neither promotes freedom nor autonomy. At the microscopic level, you might think that you are free but at the macroscopic level, you are not.
In other words, left libertarians from a conceptual point of view do not differ from right wing ones, even if the one is pro-capitalist and the other anticapitalist.
