Do libertarians believe any and every government is illegitimate?
Question 32 in Faith Seeking Freedom: Updated & Expanded
This question is from Faith Seeking Freedom: Updated & Expanded, available in paperback, PDF, and Kindle.
This is a tricky question. Libertarians are a diverse bunch situated across an ideological spectrum. And we have to talk about what a “government” is.
Some libertarians advocate for a government in the form of a minimal, “night watchman” state. These libertarians believe that a few things are best provided through a limited state; usual examples include so-called “public goods” like roads, national defense, and a court system. Other than those limited public functions, minarchist libertarians believe that markets can reliably serve the needs of society.
Other libertarians reject the need for the state altogether. These libertarians believe that public goods can be provided by competing enterprises operating on a voluntary, profit-motivated basis. They are pessimistic about the prospects for keeping limited states within their appointed bounds. These libertarian anarchists want markets to be entirely self-regulated.
But one thing that all libertarians do believe in is some form of governance. Libertarians all believe in keeping the peace and protecting the vulnerable. We just have different ideas about how those important functions might be carried out.