Similarities & Differences Between Libertarians And Conservatives

In the course of an essay on the history and negative consequences of progressivism, Bradley J. Birzer discusses its two main opponents, conservatism and libertarianism. He gives both what they agree on and what they disagree on. See what he says after the jump.

Is libertarianism really a major opponent of progressivism, or is it rather, with its dismissal of traditional authorities, a particular manifestation of it? If conservatism has a communal dimension, as opposed to libertarian individualism, does that put it closer to the corporate emphasis of progressivism?

But here is the big question, highly relevant to the current election: Given the differences between these three ideologies, does it make sense for a conservative to vote libertarian against a progressive presidential candidate? Or is the gulf between conservative and libertarian too wide for that?

From Bradley J. Birzer, Against Progressivism – The Imaginative Conservative:

It is certainly worth considering what the two movements [conservatism and libertarianism], broadly defined, have in common.

First, each fears the massive enlargement of the modern nation-state, seeing in it the rise of Leviathan.

Second, each supports—to varying degrees—the free will of the individual person.

Third, each desires real community to be organic, necessary, and voluntary.

Fourth, traditionally, each has supported liberal education and the Great Books/Great Ideas of the West.

Fifth, each has seen warfare (with the crucial exception of the neo-conservatives) as the vehicle by which the state advances toward Leviathan.
Of the things that connect the two movements, the final two points are the most contentious. Most libertarians in the modern world have neglected the importance of the liberal arts, while a strong number of conservatives have come to embrace war as a necessity in the chaos of the world.

Serious differences exist between the two schools of thought as well.

Libertarians, in general, tend to distrust all cultural, social, religious, and political authorities, seeing in these hindrances on the growth and liberation of the autonomous individual. Though Nock and Hayek did not have to deal with our current social upheavals, their followers tend to support gay marriage, homosexual rights, and sexual diversity, at almost every level.

Conservatives, in general, tend to distrust all governmental and educational authorities, while embracing the natural and organic authorities of culture, traditional family, and religion. As an institution—perhaps the central institution of western civilization—marriage especially needs to be protected in its traditional role.

Libertarians generally do not fear the rise of corporate power (though, certainly fighting against cronyism), while conservatives more often than not dislike the power of an IBM or GM as much as they dislike the growth of Washington, D.C.

In essence, libertarians focus on the solitary, single individual, while conservatives uphold the traditions of the person, rooted in a variety of communities, times, and places.

Libertarians often possess a rationalist streak, believing in moral and intellectual progress, while conservatives find man a very mixed creature, capable of great good but generally embracing evil, self-interest, and greed. If the libertarian believes in logic, the conservative believes in romance.

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