https://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9168
While the basic tenets of libertarianism — individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace — seem simple and desirable to a broad swath of society, many people hesitate to identify as libertarian or advocate for libertarian policy proposals. Such reticence often stems from questions about the philosophical, moral, social, or economic justifications behind a liberty‐maximizing approach. Can social and economic order emerge when individuals pursue their own interests, or do societies need leaders to govern them? What would happen to social services and infrastructure in a laissez‐faire environment? Would culture and prudence dissolve? Would the rich dominate the poor? Cato Senior Fellow Tom G. Palmer discusses these ideas.