I meant to blog about this fabulous article by Don Arthur earlier (viewable here: http://www.cis.org.au/Policy/Summer08-09/arthur_summer08.html). It appeared in the Summer edition 2009 of Policy Magazine.
The article is primarily about the growing rift between conservatives and “libertarians” within the GOP. He discusses the view proposed by various libertarian thinkers and activists to realign themselves with the political left and the Democratic Party. The article mostly concerns the rift between social conservatives and libertarians – though he does later refer to “neo-conservatives” who are not necessarily social conservative. I was particularly captured by his depiction of the “conservative mind.” He refers to Haidt’s theory that people’s moral intuitions may be characterised as fitting into two groups: (i) J.S. Mill social contract theory; and (ii) Durkheimian theory of society. Conservatives adhere to the Durkheimian vision which he summarises as:
(i) Harm/ Care principle;
(ii) Fairness/ reciprocity;
(iii) Ingroup Loyalty;
(iv) Authority/respect; and
(v) Purity/sanctity.
Libertarians adhere to the Millian world view which consists of (i) & (ii) to the exclusion of (iii), (iv) & (v).
The article is thought provoking and well written. However, I think “Fusionism” is not given a fair hearing. In doing so he makes selective use of Hayek, and overlooks the considerable Burkean influences on Hayek’s political philosophy. Without a lengthy excursion through either Hayek or Burke a few points could be made:
(i) both reject rational design and share a similar “organic” view of society (Hayek termed this view “spontaneous order.”)
(ii) Hayekian liberalism does not deny the importance of Burkean traditional institutions.
(iii) both reject “natural rights” in place of “prescriptive rights” or time-honoured expectations that derive from custom. (Both no doubt would reject current proposals to implement a legislative Bill of Rights, and Hayek’s criticism of the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights can be found in Law, Legislation and Liberty.)
All of which Arthur has overlooked or cast aside in providing us with this skewed narrative - that libertarians and conservatives face an ideological impasse.
I must confess a bias in all of this – I am a ‘fusionist” of sorts.
