A Libertarian Response to Coronavirus with Scott Horton

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“I don’t think that it’s necessarily an abandonment of libertarianism itself to concede that government has a role in restricting behaviour in a public health crisis.”
— Scott Horton

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Location: Skype
Date: Friday, 27th March
Project: Libertarian Institute
Role: Founder & Director

With the rapid spread of coronavirus COVID-19, governments around the world are taking drastic action to try and flatten the curve, slow the infection rate and take the strain off already struggling healthcare systems.

China’s authoritarian government quickly implemented strict controls, sealing people into apartments and increasing surveillance. All of which were reported as very useful, at least temporarily in slowing the spread. But, under democratic rule, how far can and should, the state go to save lives?

Many governments have issued lockdowns forbidding people from leaving their homes for all but essential tasks and businesses order to close. Many of the measures are designed as temporary, but some fear that governments will be reluctant to revoke these new controls once the pandemic is over

There is a direct trade-off between the encroachment on our civil liberties and saving lives, so are the strict measures worth it? And where do you draw the line?

In this interview, I talk to Scott Horton, the Founder and Director of the Libertarian Institute. We discuss the ongoing coronavirus crisis, if a state is beneficial in this extreme public health crisis and how an anarchist society would deal with a pandemic.

TIMESTAMPS

00:05:15: Introductions
00:06:04: Libertarianism in a crisis
00:13:31: Minarchism and anarchism
00:17:32: Coronavirus lockdown
00:22:55: Limitations of central planning
00:30:19: Creation of rules that restrict movement
00:33:30: The Ratchet effect
00:37:41: Scott’s view on the movement restrictions
00:42:08: Governments using crises for their benefit
00:44:10: Challenge to libertarian identity
00:48:35: Modelling future risks
00:50:36: Under-reaction or overreaction
00:53:17: Should businesses be supported?
01:01:13: Outcomes from widescale unemployment
01:05:31: Scott’s views on Bitcoin
01:08:15: Final comments

 

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SHOW NOTES

PodcastPeter McCormack