The Concept of Nature in Libertarianism

Abstract

Libertarians are not famed as friends of nature–but is that a matter of principle? I examine consequentialist, deontological and teleological versions of left- and right-libertarianism on three dimensions: their concepts of natural law, geo- and biological nature, and human nature–the latter subdivided into what characterizes humans and what distinguishes them from other animals. Both a positive ‘new world’ as opposed a negative ‘old world’ appreciation of wilderness, and a more consistent appreciation of the human subject as imperfect and not all that different from some animals, can, I will argue, give libertarianism an exceptionally green hue.