Atlas / Comparisons / Minarchist Libertarianism vs Social Liberalism
Minarchist Libertarianism and Social Liberalism
Measured distance across six axes
Different families with real common ground. They agree within three points on CU, AU, ID. They diverge by eight points or more on EC, SC.
Axis by axis
| Axis | Nozick, LP | Rawlsian liberalism | Gap | Reading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EC · Economic organisation | +10 | +01 | 9 | Diverges | Carries the disagreement. Any claim that these two are alike has to explain this. |
| CU · Social and cultural order | −03 | −06 | 3 | Agrees | Effectively the same position. Not what an argument between them is about. |
| AU · Organisation of power | −08 | −06 | 2 | Agrees | Effectively the same position. Not what an argument between them is about. |
| SC · Scale of decision | −07 | +02 | 9 | Diverges | Carries the disagreement. Any claim that these two are alike has to explain this. |
| ID · Rule of membership | −04 | −07 | 3 | Agrees | Effectively the same position. Not what an argument between them is about. |
| CH · Method and tempo | −03 | −07 | 4 | Differs | Real difference, but not the dividing line. |
Each axis runs from −10 to +10; the distance is the straight-line separation across all six at once, out of a maximum of 49.0. How the scoring works →
The evidence behind the widest gaps
A distance figure is worth nothing unless the scores behind it can be checked. These are the artefacts supporting the axes that separate these two most.
Nozick, LP · EC +10
At the market pole: police, courts and defence only.
- Programme textNozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974) derives a night-watchman state and no more.
Rawlsian liberalism · EC +01
Coded +1: market economy with substantial redistribution.
- Programme textA Theory of Justice (1971) permits inequality only where it benefits the least advantaged.
Nozick, LP · SC −07
Coded −7: strong federalism and secession sympathies.
- Programme textPlatform commitments to devolve nearly all federal functions to states or individuals.
Rawlsian liberalism · SC +02
Coded +2: a national scheme of cooperation, extended internationally with difficulty.
- ScholarshipThe Law of Peoples applies a weaker principle across borders than within them, a much-criticised move.
What this comparison does not establish
Proximity means similarity of stated position. It carries no claim about competence, circumstance, scale of operation, or what either organisation actually did to the people under it. Two organisations can sit close together and produce entirely different histories, because those things are not on any axis and could not be.
Minarchist Libertarianism
1971– · United States, worldwide
A night-watchman state limited to police, courts and defence; maximum personal and economic freedom otherwise.
Social Liberalism
1971– · Global North
Equal basic liberties first, then fair equality of opportunity, then inequalities only where they benefit the worst off.
Distance is not the whole answer. Two organisations can sit the same distance apart for entirely different reasons, and the reason is the content of any claim about them. Open the comparison in the atlas to weight the axes yourself.
Open in the atlas