Welcome Center Right and Libertarians
Left
Right
Thanks for your interest in The Developmentalist. Our goal is to honor and integrate the bedrock values of all three major American cultures: traditional, modern, and progressive. Notwithstanding the culture war, we believe these distinct sets of values can be reconciled and harmonized for the greater good of our country.
Here’s a list of some of the center right and libertarian values and political goals we seek to forward:
• Protecting the sovereign rights of individuals to think and act as they choose
• Championing limited government, private property, and personal privacy
• Championing the wealth and spontaneous order that arises from market economies
• Promoting entrepreneurship, small business ownership, and economic self-sufficiency
This is a partial list of what we call Liberty Values, which help make our nation the envy of the world. We see Liberty Values, along with Fairness Values, as essential to what we call the “modern worldview.” If you would like to suggest additional Liberty Values, or make a comment about the best aspects of conservative modernism, please click on the button below or comment at the bottom of this page. We will highlight selected comments at the bottom of this page.
We want to help progressives and traditionalists better appreciate the critical role that Liberty Values play in our national culture. And we likewise want to help modernists better appreciate the upsides of traditionalist Heritage Values, as well as progressive Caring Values. If this sounds interesting, we invite you to explore these relevant thought pieces on our website:
Regardless of your take on the “developmental perspective,” considering the bedrock values of those you disagree with can make you a more effective advocate for the values you hold dear. Reflecting on the values of our political opponents can also help de-escalate the culture war so that our disagreements can become productive again.
Another liberty value includes teaching a history of progress made possible by recombination of ideas, free trade, and innovation, as opposed to teaching the view that civilization is primarily a struggle between classes and races, between the oppressors and the oppressed.
Additional liberty values include: “objective reality,” “humility,” “scientific method”, “reason” “Values Clarity” “cost-benefit analysis” and a “supportive environment”
Maximal Liberty comes from understanding objective reality. “A good map helps you find the treasure.” Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy is based on the idea that objective reality exists, that human reason can apprehend this reality, and that this knowledge will increase our freedom and happiness.
Liberty also stems from humility, also known as skepticism. Humility is the acknowledgment that humans did not evolve to perceive objective reality as it is, but rather our senses evolved to help us survive and propagate. Because no individual can perceive reality as it is, we must use the scientific method, reason, and communication to understand objective reality. The mantra for humility is “All models are wrong, some models are useful.” Multiple perspectives offer more clarity.
Liberty prevails with the “scientific cycle” (aka the scientific method). The scientific cycle allows humans to understand objective reality closer to how it actually is. The scientific cycle rests on the bedrock of humility, aka skepticism.
Liberty is made possible through reason. We make many observations about the world, many of which are conflicting or sparces. We use reason to help us make the most useful model of objective reality.
Clarity of Values is essential for libertarians. Each individual seeks value, or benefit. Animals are value-seeking machines driven by the dopamine-seeking system. While everyone shares certain values like water, oxygen, and food, each person also has unique values. And nobody can tell us what these values are. When each person is free to pursue their own values, magic happens.
Liberty stems from knowing the cost of a benefit (ie value). While liberty is the ideal, perfect liberty is impossible. Every liberty has a cost. Those who realize the cost of a benefit are liberated from disappointed expectations. Because libertarians understand that every benefit has a cost, they are skeptical of promises of wealth, safety and goodness. Because libertarians have seen the horrors of authoritarian regimes who gained power through promises of benefits without cost, they are skeptical of governments that make such offers.
Liberty is not possible without oxygen, clean water, a supportive climate, and sufficient resources. Furthermore, because they know that genetic diversity is the key to biological evolution, they value biodiversity. For this reason, libertarians value the environment and the protection of species. That said, because libertarians value humility, the scientific method, and reason, they are skeptical of the claims of climate catastrophe, especially when those who make the claims gain tremendous power at other’s expense without any clear benefit to the environment.
Furthermore, because genetic diversity is the key to biological evolution, libertarians value biodiversity.