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Libertarians claim we have a fundamental right to liberty, provided that:

A. It benefits the majority
B. It aligns with utilitarian principles
C. It does not infringe on the rights of others
D. It is approved by the government

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Libertarians regard the fundamental right to liberty as being predicated on not infringing upon the rights of others. They value individual rights above the utilitarian principle of the greatest good for the greatest number and advocate for minimal government interference, as outlined by John Stuart Mill. option c.

Step-by-step explanation:

Libertarians claim that we have a fundamental right to liberty, provided that it does not infringe on the rights of others (Option C). They argue that individual rights are paramount and should not be violated even for the sake of maximizing net social utility. This perspective contrasts with utilitarianism, which supports actions that yield the greatest good for the greatest number and evaluating policies based on a cost-benefit analysis.

Utilitarianism engages with the idea that the government's role is to provide the greatest happiness to the greatest number. However, libertarianism places individual liberty and rights at the forefront. John Stuart Mill, a major figure in defining the limits of power and the role of government, argued in his work On Liberty that individual freedom should be the main objective of the government, limited only if someone's action harms another person.

For libertarians, the function of the government is minimalist, existing primarily to protect individual rights and intervene in society only when necessary to prevent harm. Thus, social justice in a libertarian framework is achieved when the government ensures these rights with minimal interference in individual liberties.

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