In the spirit of the exception proving the rule, most lovers of liberty accept that government has a critical role to play in combatting communicable disease.
Process and prudence always matter
Published January 7, 2021
In the spirit of the exception proving the rule, most lovers of liberty accept that government has a critical role to play in combatting communicable disease.
In a free society, voluntary exchange based on private property and the rule of law is the default. It’s the best way to solve problems, resolve disputes, and make us better off over time. But easily transmittable germs complicate the process of informed consent. As they spread, they subject third parties to potential sickness and death.
As COVID-19 struck the world in early 2020, then, most conservatives and libertarians agreed that government possessed both the legitimate power and the responsibility to respond. What we insisted on, however, were two constraints: process and prudence.