Benjamin Seevers | The Libertarian Institute

Mandating the Bible? A Libertarian Appraisal

by Benjamin Seevers | Nov 7, 2024 | Featured Articles

The Oklahoma State Superintendent—the highest education authority in the state—mandated that public schools incorporate the Bible into lesson plans. While there are good reasons to oppose it, the edict challenges a Supreme Court decision that should be overturned: School District of Abington Township v. Schempp. Abington v. Schempp ruled that mandatory Bible readings and recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in public schools violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This decision is not consistent with the principle of private property. The Establishment Clause governs the use of...

How Should a Principled Libertarian Vote?

by Benjamin Seevers | Jul 1, 2024 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism, Politics

The 2024 election is right around the corner, and libertarians have a choice to make. There are many legitimate options; libertarians have historically taken a number of stances, such as abstention, write-ins, voting for principled candidates or the lesser of two evils. Considerations usually fall into two columns: principled and practical. Those who vote on principle vote for a libertarian-oriented candidate. Those who vote based on practicality care more about outcomes than not having blood on their hands, so-to-speak. If we are to take the non-aggression principle seriously, then all our...

A Libertarian Defense of Surrogacy

by Benjamin Seevers | Dec 7, 2023 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism

Amidst announcements of gay conservatives having children by surrogate, commentators such as Michael Knowles and Katy Faust levied criticism against the practice of surrogacy in general. These commentators, however, get a lot wrong. Let’s examine each of the most prominent objections. In a recent tweet, Michael Knowles states: Michael Knowles is correct. Children are not property to be bought and sold, and they certainly are not for parents to “dispose of at will.” In fact, the standard libertarian position is in agreement with Knowles in this case. But, why does this apply to surrogacy? It...

The Chinese are Reclaiming Pandas from American Zoos. Let Them.

by Benjamin Seevers | Oct 10, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

There are thousands of religions across the world and countless more personal creeds. 195 different countries dispense legal codes and many more nations and stateless peoples govern their own affairs according to their non-governmental customs and norms. Despite this, there are certain moral truths evident to all men. One truth stands out amongst them all as if it were inscribed on the hearts and minds of all men and preserved and passed down on stone tablets handed to Adam by God prior to the fall of man. What is this moral truth? Well, it is absurd to even ask that question. You should...

Protesting Abortion Clinics? Not So Fast, Libertarians

by Benjamin Seevers | Sep 27, 2023 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism

In the summer of 2022, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture on inflation. Funny enough, pro-abortion activists protested this wonderful talk (for whatever reason), standing on the sidewalk directly adjacent to the building, shouting at and harassing people as they entered the parking lot, and waving signs. As I entered the building, I remarked, “If this were a libertarian society, they would be removed.” This is true; in a libertarian society, there is no right to protest or assemble. People must abide by the rules of the private property owners, which could preclude or include allowing...

China Should Be Allowed to Buy American Farmland

by Benjamin Seevers | Jul 18, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

To suggest that Chinese businesses and Chinese nationals should be allowed to buy farmland in the United States will intuitively send many conservatives reeling. “But…but…it’s a national security threat!” This is presented by both Republicans and Democrats as the core “problem” of Chinese-owned farmland. Recently, several state legislatures have passed measures against foreigners holding U.S. land. However, thinking about it past guttural reactions will reveal that the farmland argument is full of hot air. Not only that, but these regulations are prone to heat up international tensions...

I Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Vote

by Benjamin Seevers | Jun 26, 2023 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism, Politics

I just turned 22, and I should not be allowed to vote. I agree with Vivek Ramaswamy that the voting age probably should be increased, but the good intentioned policy misses the mark because it does not go far enough. Raising the voting age would be a step in the right direction, but the criterion for voting should not be age, but instead if one owns property in land. Ramaswamy, a candidate in the 2024 Republican primaries, stated that the voting age should be increased to 25 years of age, granting exceptions to those that serve in the military, work as emergency responders, or pass the...

Libertarianism Must Be Exclusive

by Benjamin Seevers | Jun 21, 2023 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism

This Pride Month, like many before it, some libertarians are sharing the slogan “Liberty is Inclusive.” The slogan is meant to affirm the idea of equality, not only in the law, but also in how people treat one another outside of legal arrangements. Is this consistent with libertarian ethics? No. Liberty is inherently exclusive, not inclusive. The most consistent brand of libertarianism, Rothbardianism, holds that homesteading is the ultimate criterion for justice. Murray Rothbard comes to the conclusion that we own ourselves and any resources we first use or acquire voluntarily by virtue of...

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