Why Hasn't Libertarianism Won the Day?

Benjamin Martin: May I sit with you?
Charlotte Selton: It's a free country. Or at least it will be.
--The Patriot

Nice reply by Tom Woods to some editorials written by people who oppose libertarianism. Libertarianism is the belief in societal design grounded in voluntary cooperation among individuals. Grounded in the philosophy of natural law, libertarianism posits that people are born with the right to pursue their interests as long as they don't forcefully interfere in the pursuits of others.

Libertarians oppose forceful aggression (a.k.a. the non-aggression principle). The only legitimate use of force is for self-defense. Viewed through the libertarian lens, the proper role of government is to help people defend their property (broadly construed to include life and liberty as well as material possessions) against aggression.

A question posed by one of the editorialists was this:  If libertarianism is such a great framework, then why hasn't a country adopted it?

Before getting to Tom's response, I must first note that highly libertarian designs have been adopted at one time or another throughout history. Ancient Greece and Rome, for example, had runs that reflected may libertarian principles. Though not perfect, the system of government instituted by the United States, first under the Articles of Confederation and then under the Constitution, has been the boldest libertarian design in scale and scope enacted in the history of man.

The more accurate and interesting question to pose is this: Why has it been difficult for libertarian designs to persist?

Tom's response, which he frames as a series of rephrased questions, is based in large part on the axiom that people prefer leisure over work, and less work over more work. Stated differently, people want to get the most gain from the least amount of effort.

If people can advance their interests on the backs of others, then they are prone to do so. Because government is legalized force, then it is in the interest of some to use the strong arm of government to advance their interests at others' expense.

The history of the world can be seen as a battle of voluntary cooperation vs involuntary servitude. Peace vs aggression. Freedom vs force.

The libertarian design has been battling designs that employ aggression. Thus far, aggressive designs have had the upper hand. This obviously does not render the libertarian approach meaningless. It merely reflects the strength of human desire to force one's will onto others for personal gain.