Maker Faire: Where Libertarian Dreams Come True

Jennifer Burns is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Virginia.

Maker Faire: Where Libertarian Dreams Come True

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 08:51

I spent part of last weekend at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA, a two day event showcasing a mindboggling array of technology and artistry, from futuristic robots to retro steam powered trains to re-engineered clothing. Somewhere between displays on composting toilets and distributed power systems, it occurred to me that all of this was a libertarian fantasy come true. Here in reality were all the dreams of the 1970’s libertarian ‘zines: a way to finally get off the grid, on the land, away from “the man,” to be totally self-sufficient and independent of larger structures of power and coercion. The hitch is that most of the makers there, I’d wager, were folks of the left, not of the right. If any one set of values united them, it was environmentalism, or more specifically the quest to use natural resources more efficiently and with fewer damaging side effects (e.g. externalities). Thumping under all of this was a quasi-apocalyptic theme that would have seemed familiar to any Tea Partier, militia member, or science fiction buff: how are you going to take care of yourself and your family when our world changes irrevocably for the worse?

All of these connections and missed connections started me thinking on the theme of left-libertarianism, or how the libertarian ethos or spirit can really be said to transcend partisan boundaries. As those of you know who read my book Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right, one of my major arguments in that book is that Ayn Rand served to pin libertarianism to the right through her advocacy of unregulated capitalism and her long history of political collaboration with conservatives and others on the right. Today, Rand might be more influential than ever, but libertarianism is evolving rapidly and even approaching the political mainstream. As such, we’re bound to see some shifts and changes.

The ways libertarianism might look in the 21st century was the subject of a panel discussion I organized last month at the University of Virginia. Our theme was “Libertarianism: Left or Right?” and it featured professors from UVA, Johns Hopkins, and two scholars from the Cato Institute. I’ve got plenty of notes and will write up some reflections soon so you can get a sense of the conversation. Stay tuned…

Comments (20)

|2010-09-07 07:13:44 Bryan Greifinger - What makes you think so?

Hi Jennifer,
I'm curious as to what it is that makes you think libertarianism is coming however slowly to the forefront. All I've been seeing over the years are comical / insane candidates one after another that just don't seem to forward the possibility of a Libertarian candidate for president. I do expect sometime in the future this may change but I'm not seeing any signs of life yet. I am encouraged tho that if we can elect our first black president, and if Australia can elect their first Atheist that common sense and free enterprise DO have a chance......I would be very interested to read your book and will mark your blog for future commentaries. Thank you, Bryan

|2010-10-25 12:24:04 Roderick T. Long - Bryan Greifinger

I didn't take JB's comment to have anything to do with the Libertarian Party -- which is only a small part of the libertarian movement. And not all libertarians think that electing candidates to office is the most effective means of working toward a freed society.

|2010-10-25 12:31:20 Roderick T. Long - libertarians and the left

By the way, I think libertarianism's closest affinity is not with either conservatism or mainstream liberalism, but rather with the radical left, as it was originally; see http://all-left.net

|2010-11-06 03:24:35 Ultraupper - Agree with Long

Anarchism is originally a political philosophy to the left of Marxism. Ayn Rand knew this and so despised the anarchy sympathizing element in American libertarianism, which seems to be a pretty big part of the libertarian scene to this day.

|2010-11-06 03:33:09 Bryan Greifinger - Libertarians and the left

Oh my goodness.....I never associated the left with libertarianism and i certainly don't see myself as an anarchist...I do recall that Ayn Rand was not happy with Murray Rothbard (SP?). But did not recall the leftist relationship. I also believe that for as many political concepts as there are there will alwasy be degrees of those concepts. For example, i'm sure many Libertarians would not side with the anarchist ideas it has inherently grown up with.......

|2010-11-27 14:01:15 Daniel M. Ryan - Green And Gold

I've noticed a broad similarity between greens and libertarians, particularly the goldbug subset of the latter. Both really believe that the current set-up is unsustainable, although they focus on different aspects. Both tend to attack or deplore consumptionism. Both seem to be the ant of the fable.

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|2011-04-08 09:02:27 Michael R. Brown - Staying tuned ...

No more blogging, JB? :)

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|2011-08-27 16:47:06 Ultraupper

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