Tonight I comment on Diane Paul's "Where Libertarian Premises Lead" article published in the Winter 2001 edition of The American Journal of Bioethics. I mentioned the abstract for this article in the 06/14/11 LIBERTARIAN BIOETHICS BLOG post. This won't take long.
Paul's article evaluates several "libertarian assumptions" advanced by John Robertson in an essay offering an argument for preconception sex selection (PSS):
"Libertarian" Premise #1: "Liberty is a negative right." I agree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise. I disagree with Paul's idea that non-libertarians have mounted significant philosophic challenges to this plumbline libertarian premise.
"Libertarian" Premise #2: "There is a longstanding consensus on the principle of noninterference with reproductive choice." I disagree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise, for plumbline libertarians care about the justice of a particular policy not the popularity of a particular policy. I also disagree with Paul's idea that it is legitimate for societies to interfere with the reproductive choices of individuals who are acting in a non-aggressive manner.
"Libertarian" Premise #3: "What individuals desire is their own business." I agree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise. I disagree with Paul's idea that it is legitimate for societies to interfere with individuals attempting to fulfill their desires in a non-aggressive manner.
"Libertarian" Premise #4: "Since procreative liberty is a trump value, the bar for interference should be placed extremely high." I agree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise. I disagree with Paul's idea that it is legitimate for societies to interfere with the procreative liberty of individuals who are acting in a non-aggressive manner.
I shall now tally the scorecard for Paul's article. Paul's recognition of libertarian premises was 3 for 4 (75%). The success of Paul's arguments against legitimate libertarian premises was 0 for 3 (0%). The success of Paul's argument against an illegitimate libertarian premise was 0 for 1 (0%). Thus, the LIBERTARIAN BIOETHICS BLOG has no choice but to declare Diane Paul a non-libertarian with poor persuasive essay skills.
Paul's article evaluates several "libertarian assumptions" advanced by John Robertson in an essay offering an argument for preconception sex selection (PSS):
"Libertarian" Premise #1: "Liberty is a negative right." I agree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise. I disagree with Paul's idea that non-libertarians have mounted significant philosophic challenges to this plumbline libertarian premise.
"Libertarian" Premise #2: "There is a longstanding consensus on the principle of noninterference with reproductive choice." I disagree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise, for plumbline libertarians care about the justice of a particular policy not the popularity of a particular policy. I also disagree with Paul's idea that it is legitimate for societies to interfere with the reproductive choices of individuals who are acting in a non-aggressive manner.
"Libertarian" Premise #3: "What individuals desire is their own business." I agree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise. I disagree with Paul's idea that it is legitimate for societies to interfere with individuals attempting to fulfill their desires in a non-aggressive manner.
"Libertarian" Premise #4: "Since procreative liberty is a trump value, the bar for interference should be placed extremely high." I agree with Paul that this is a plumbline libertarian premise. I disagree with Paul's idea that it is legitimate for societies to interfere with the procreative liberty of individuals who are acting in a non-aggressive manner.
I shall now tally the scorecard for Paul's article. Paul's recognition of libertarian premises was 3 for 4 (75%). The success of Paul's arguments against legitimate libertarian premises was 0 for 3 (0%). The success of Paul's argument against an illegitimate libertarian premise was 0 for 1 (0%). Thus, the LIBERTARIAN BIOETHICS BLOG has no choice but to declare Diane Paul a non-libertarian with poor persuasive essay skills.
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