Talk:Libertarianism and Objectivism

Libertarian Response to Objectivism?

According to what I have read of Ayn Rand, which is a significant amount, her objections to Libertarianism are based on what she (and her followers) viewed as a rejection of reason as an underlying philosophy of Libertarianism; indeed, her claim is that there is no philosophy underlying the political goals of Libertarianism. As a new Libertarian, I'm curious as to what the party's official response to this would be, but find nothing philosophical at all in the website. All I have found so far is this wiki (kudos) with her opinions and the statement that many of her principles are fundamental to Libertarianism.

As far as plagiarism is concerned, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but the "with the teeth pulled out" phrase gives me pause. Is Libertarianism not based in reason? What are its premises? According to Leonard Peikoff (her "intellectual heir" which smacks to me of demagoguery), Libertarians find Rand too "dogmatic" and that they have an "anything goes" mentality, as long as no one violates the rights of others. This sounds like anarchy and does not sound like the party described in the website. Given that these articles were written no later than the 1980s, it's possible the party has evolved significantly since then; the radical anti-Americanism of the 1970s is definitely absent now.