The dependence of libertarianism on the notion of sovereignty: rejoinder to morton
Loading...
Date
2009
Authors
Duffel, Siegfried
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Critical Review Foundation
Abstract
G. E. Morton tries to defend libertarianism against my claim that it
relies on an implausible secularization of ideas of divine sovereignty. But it is not
true, as he claims, that morality itself entails human sovereignty: witness the moral
theories of divine-command theorists and philosophical consequentialists. Nor is it
true that sovereignty can be conceptually transferred from God to equal human
individuals, since they would have no legitimate way to legislate over each other,
short of a unanimous “general will.” Nor, finally, does the idea of first possession
rescue private property rights, since it is as applicable to animals and children as to
adult human beings.
Description
Keywords
libertarianism, human sovereignty
Citation
Siegfried Van Duffel; 2009; The dependence of libertarianism on the notion of sovereignty: rejoinder to morton; Critical Review