34. The Nature of Liberty

Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. For enlightenment of this kind, all that is needed is freedom. And the freedom in question is the most innocuous form of all: freedom to make public use of one’s reason in all matters.

-Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)

[T]here is another and greater distinction for which no truly natural or religious reason can be assigned, and that is, the distinction of men into KINGS and SUBJECTS.

-Thomas Paine (1737–1809)

I’VE MAINLY ADDRESSED IN this book the economic benefits of liberty with an eye toward utility and prosperity. Prosperity is the subjective by-product of liberty. Liberty is an end unto itself, with prosperity as its positive externality. A common thread of nature runs through all humanity, but at the same time, each person holds a uniqueness of life that only that individual can master.

Those who claim to be a better master of a life not theirs forfeit a part of their own lives, along with a portion of the lives of those who, wittingly or unwittingly, accept such claims as true. He who believes in a master over his life—be it king, queen, prophet, or statesman—has already forfeited part of the value of living that life. Often, those who accept a master demand that others accept the same master. The value of being a libertarian is that liberty cannot fall prey to those who claim superiority and authority over your life.

Some time ago at a lunch during a Cato Institute seminar, a young libertarian woman at our table asked sadly, “Why are we [libertarians] losing?”

“Why do you think we are losing?” I asked her.

“Because the country is getting more socialistic,” she responded.

“What would the country look like if you were to win, and what would you be doing when that happened?” She didn’t respond. I suspect she hadn’t envisioned what it meant to win.

Liberty is not a battle that requires the conversion of others in order to win. Liberty is won when you accept the idea that you are the sole master of your life; when your life is subordinate to none, and no other life is subordinate to yours. When you accept that idea, you are liberated. There will always be those who will claim to be your master, but you will know otherwise. For a libertarian, paying tribute to Caesar may make sense, but believing that tribute is Caesar’s due does not!

Liberty is not, as Ronald Reagan suggested, a fragile thing. On the contrary, it is mastery that is fragile; its weakness is evidenced by ubiquitous failures, while the liberty inherent in the human spirit is resilient. Nor does liberty require eternal vigilance, as claimed by Andrew Jackson.

Liberty is a state of mind that does not require the indulgence of others.