I've run into several people who used to be libertarians but have kind of moved away from the position over the years.
I used to think there could be no such thing as a "former libertarian", that anyone making this claim was never a libertarian to begin with, but I'm not as certain anymore.
Have they really embraced the antisocial method of politics? Have they actually given up on society and voluntary interactions?
If so, I doubt it's because of new information-- I can't believe anyone has tried to find reasons to reject libertarianism harder than I have. Or, I seriously doubt they have. I am always trying to falsify everything I believe. One bit of counter-evidence tells you more than thousands of confirming points. But even when I think I've found counter-evidence, it turns out to be an error or a misunderstanding on my part. That doesn't mean we all agree, but the disagreements are matters of interpretation, not flaws with the position.
But, the current societal climate is hostile to self-responsibility and liberty. It is hard to continually swim upstream. To just relax and let yourself go with the flow is often tempting. Is this what they've done?
I don't know, but I suspect it often is.
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I suspect the people who abandon libertarianism never struggled to philosophically grasp first principles, and were instead drawn to the surface-level explanation of "socially liberal, fiscally conservative." With that kind of shallow grasp, it's no surprise the major parties can cajole them back. As for the Libertarian Party, that's been a lost cause for a long time, and it makes a mockery of libertarian principles just to win 3% of the total voter pool, which is utterly disgusting and probably repels many who seek a principled alternative to the major parties.
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Yeah. Bob Barr and Bill Weld... YUCK!
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Me, too ;-)
I used to call me libertarian. But today, I don't like this word, e.g. because there are people that call themselves left- or right-libertarian. I am neither of these.
Today, I'd say I am a classical liberal and tend strongly towards "no ruler" (=anarchy).
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I'm not hung up on the terminology, just on the principle of self-ownership, responsibility, and voluntary interactions.
I consider libertarian, Voluntaryist, anarchist, and abolitionist to mean the same thing, with only slightly different (to some people) connotations.
I once dabbled with "classical liberal" but was not able to go along with that philosophy's acceptance of external governance/The State. I don't care how you dress it up or claim "consent of the governed", it's not for me.
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"One bit of counter-evidence tells you more than thousands of confirming points" I really like that. Nice man.
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