@yearstogo re #42: they may not, but I myself grew up in Russia, and the juxtaposition of being libertarian and from the former Soviet Union speaks volumes to me about at least some shared background.
@Aymyrat So I didn’t know anything about Turkmenistan, but after looking at it I found it was considered one of the most repressive countries in the world. Even at our worst I don’t think there would be the same feeling. The news tends to cover the sensationalized extreme because regular life would be boring.
So for you to understand. While there is an historic definition of libertarianism, and older people will possibly trot out the ideas from 70 years ago, young people are different. What has happened is libertarianism has replaced conservativism amongst the younger generation by and large. There has been an evolution on the social ideas front and young people are embracing tolerance with regards to social issues. So there is a consistency amoung young people in that regard and the differentiation for them is the role of government. You have to choose how you want your disappointment and corruption served to you. Those who prefer more government are on the left. Those who prefer smaller government are on the right which is largely now represented by libertarians for young people. Leaders of the American Libertarian Party realize that the party has been a failure. By and large it is ignored and the current group of people who consider themselves to be libertarian do not actually have a structured voice. Maybe the next generation will change that. Currently it is an fluid and not firmly defined philosophy though in general is understood (by people who understand) to be a general desire for tolerant social policies and a lean towards smaller government.
Not to go too far down the rabbithole, but there is little agreement on what people who call themselves libertarians believe these days. As soon as you get below “too much government”, they start to branch off on which parts of government should go away and which ones should stay. It makes it hard to sustain a movement. Occasionally a person will emerge (eg, Ron Paul) that rallies some subset of the group to them, but a person is not a party, and it tends to fade. But anyway, I’m not sure it helps the OP pick a college for their sib.
Not sure about vassar–it’s very liberal–but I agree with the others. Another great school that fits this criterion is Emory.
@intparent Trying not to jump down the rabbit hole with you, I do not think that young people who consider themselves libertarian have the objective of any kind of radical change such as removing branches of government. (notice OPs reaction to the historic definitions which seem like wild ideas of anarchy) I don’t think it goes much further than a preference for smaller government. Really, in different times, these kids would have been called different names. They are the center right, center left folks. People have become so disenchanted and disappointed with the current system that they avoid labels or choose Option C without even an understanding of the history of Option C.
I’d agree with that. Most would NOT agree with much of what is listed on the Libertarian Party website. It is more a rebellion against the two main parties, and (honestly) I think they think it sounds kind of cool to say that they are libertarian without going too deep into the implications.
@intparent “the implications” It has been refined . It does not mean what it used to mean. It has evolved. What it means is relative to the position of the left. It is simply a position that is to the right of the left. The same phenomenon is happening in different places like the UK. There is a rise of libertarianism among young people. There are no dramatic implications because there are no dramatic policy changes being asked for. IT HAS BEEN REDEFINED. And that it how it is understood. Simply a fiscal policy that is to the right of the left by some measure.
I simply don’t know how you know that. There is no party with a platform, and everyone I’ve talked to has a slightly different take on it. Find me something in writing that is a formal organization that tells what “libertarian” means as a commonly understood phrase in American politics, and I’ll accept that. Otherwise, I think of it as a somewhat lazy way to describe “I don’t like either party, and I don’t like at least some things the government spends money on”.
@intparent You can view it as you please. But I think I understand the young people better. I have certainly seen it simply defined as a desire for smaller government not a dismantling of safety nets and government branches. I’ll post next time I see. It is an evolving phenomenon and just because they have not created a website to provide links for you does not mean they are lazy or invisible. It is the new position of the young right who find the old ways “icky.” Young people may certainly coalesce into a firm new party when it’s their time in the sun. And maybe they’ll have the biggest party of all with a central position.
^well, the rising “young right” now also includes the ethnonationalists, neonazis, and such (yes they consider themselves “right”, and yes they ARE trying to take over as many conservative campus groups as possible, as per Spenser and various groups)… so in a sense the young libertarians are the young conservatives who haven’t fallen to the dark side of the force ;). And among liberals there are varieties too. Yale has 7 political debating societies to represent all the flavors, 3 right, 3 left, and 1?
But I agree Libertarians by definition can’t be easily described.
@aymyrat:
Turkmenistan is so repressive that any US college, regardless of how liberal it is, would be an upgrade. (Also, if you get your news from RT, dont believe everything you see -yes I do watch RT on occasion and it’s very well-done propaganda.) Even Vietnam is way more progressive and open than Turkmenistan.
Are you trying to get your brother out? or can he join you in Vietnam?
I understand that coming from Turkmenistan most colleges, even conservative ones, would feel very liberal though. Being libertarian in Turkmenistan is likely very different from what it means in the US, euphemism.
All in all, pick flagships he can get into and that you can pay for, you’ll find a variety of people and opinions.
^I thought “icky” was a good technical term but I guess “dark side” could do. I really view the rise of libertarianism among young people as a positive development that should be championed. It means that the majority of them are now seeking respect and tolerance. With regard to government size, that is a work in progress for them and it will be interesting to see where they go. The forties, fifties and sixties were a time of change for government policy and the old views of libertarianism reflect that. This younger generation has grown up with safety nets and involvement as the norm. Their understanding and expectations will be very different. I think it will be interesting to see where they land.
@Aymyrat FYI Re: Turkmenistan, “radical liberals” - What you’re objecting to is what we’d call authoritarianism. With accurately practiced liberalism being the counter position. (Government involvement in fiscal policy a separate issue)
@intparent This sort of explains it. They are bleeding heart libertarians not Randian.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/rise-new-libertarians-meet-britains-next-political-generation-1469233
Internationally, Francisco Marroquín University, is an interesting place. The University of Chicago is obviously world class for economics. If you want to read more about free speech issues look up FIRE. Semantic debates about how to define libertarian aren’t useful to the OP.
Answering the original page or so of this thread: I go to a school that is called far left (it’s not). I teach in a far left department (this is true). I have conservative students in my culture & politics class and they openly share their beliefs without backlash.
Since most people in these threads haven’t seen the inside of a class in decades, if ever, figured I’d give an opinion from someone currently engaging with students on a daily basis. (Petra is an exception.)
Most universities do lean liberal(on the US political spectrum): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/10/14/the-most-liberal-universities-in-america/?utm_term=.821fe97b4b1a. I’ve never heard the University of Michigan described as far left, although I’m sure that’s true in some departments.
I doubt Cal is what you’re looking for but the campus is dedicating this year to free speech and exploring the concept through a number of forum and events. You might want to search for campuses that are similarly holding discussions on the legacy of free speech
@yucca10 and I lived in both Russia and Turkmenistan, as well as several other former Republics (my wife is from one of the Republics)…my only point is that many people I met in the Republics would certainly not want to live amongst Russians. I am sure you understand my point given you grew up there.
@roethlisburger Yes but OP is not looking for conservative schools.They are looking for holistically liberal because the new modern libertarians are very liberal.Which is why some of these suggestions are frankly bad and why the semantics was important to get the right type of university rather than being completely wrong.
Removing labels. They are students (if they are representative of modern libertarianism) who want tolerance, respect and freedom to make decisions for themselves, freedom to discuss ideas. So they will support ethnic and racial diversity, religion freedom and tolerance and or having no religion at all, sexual orientation freedom and tolerance, decriminalization of drugs and prostitution. They are not trying o remove safety nets, they are trying to optimize them and looking for multidimensional solutions to solve problems rather than a government solves all solution. They are trying to empower individuals and give them the ability to make choices with their own lives without unnecessary government interference or regulation. They are not trying to dismantle the government, they are trying to right size it, to make it more efficient and they are adding in their own free spirited solutions. They are not taking ideas and pushing them to extremes. They are not writing manifestos and trying to convert you to their way of thinking. They are fundamentally tolerant, fundamentally respectful of your right to have your own ideas. They are a la carte. They are coming together to solve problems and then disbanding. They are not the old way of two enemy sides which face each other and fire. They’re guerrilla warfare. They’re agile and evolving.
School suggestions for this type student…