Re:Elite Underproduction
by woodruffw on Sunday November 07, 2021 @01:31PM
(#29142080)
Thiel's hawkish military (and self-interested, given Palantir's contracts with Defense) positions on China probably put him outside of the pale of "normal" libertarian politics.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Considering the primary trait of right wing libertarians is hypocrisy-fused self interest, I'd say he's right on the mark.
Re:Elite Underproduction
by native_samples on Sunday November 07, 2021 @02:54PM
(#29142876)
Normally libertarianism has an 'exception' for defense because it's a pure commons. There's no obvious way to have private sector military due to the nature of wars and invasions. Indeed, the government having a monopoly on violence is a core part of libertarian thinking.
> Normally libertarianism has an 'exception' for defense because it's a pure commons. There's no obvious way to have private sector military due to the nature of wars and invasions. Indeed, the government having a monopoly on violence is a core part of libertarian thinking.
This is an entirely parallel subject. The monopoly on violence (which is just a concept in the theory of state, not a uniquely libertarian concept) doesn't imply a hawkish foreign policy outlook. Put another way: the libertarian perspective (even the minarchist variants) don't entail the kind of aggression that Thiel publicly advocates.
Being a hawk on China (e.g., extolling the US MIC to take a more aggressive stance in territorial disputes and information warfare) is a very conservative, not libertarian, position.
Re:Elite Underproduction
by enchiridion on Sunday November 07, 2021 @03:25PM
(#29143166)
Yes, libertarians generally define a government as having a monopoly on violence. That does not necessarily mean they think the government should have a monopoly of violence.
Re:Elite Underproduction
by native_samples on Monday November 08, 2021 @03:40AM
(#29147259)
I've never encountered a libertarian who thought otherwise, although I guess you can have 'sub-contracted violence' via things like private police forces licensed by the government. What exactly are you thinking of here?