Thick Libertarianism and Social Work Values and Ethics

I had intended for this to be a short comparison between the two topics, but given that I would have to wade through a lengthy Charles Johnson piece, I'm content to just gloss over surface level analysis here.  In fact, I believe the point of this post should probably be to sketch out social work values and ethics and how they might contribute to a "thickening" of libertarian value commitments (then compare those at a later date to the already explicated versions by Johnson, Long, and others).

Thick libertarianism, as was mentioned in the previous post, is the idea that a value commitment to personal liberty does not stop on the steps of government.  Opposing oppression in whatever form is a necessary commitment for libertarians because it inhibits the individual from expressing who they truly are or experiencing things that might be important to them.  For example, anti-drug warriors are wrong not only because a person should have the right to seek whatever oblivion they desire but because both the state (who enforces their preferences as gunpoint) and conservative society (which enforces their preferences through drug testing entry-level workers, for example Dish Network's recent case in Colorado) are inhibiting a person from being and expressing their true desires.  The mulitiplicity, heterogeneity, and sponteneity that is entailed in free human action is the central value commitment I see in a thicker conception of libertarianism.

Thickness also bring along other ideas from anti-racism, anti-sexism, and all the other isms in that its critique of the social structure (aside from the state) requires additional theoretical and philosophical work that is best explored through a critical theory lens towards society.  For a long time, I have been trying to marry my philosophical commitments to libertarianism with my values in social work.  As I've gone through my PhD education, this marriage has gotten a lot easier to work through.  Of the social work values (service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence), many have helped me understand in practice what a thick libertarian commitment might entail.

For example, the ideal of service makes sense not as a mandate or a necessary part of libertarianism but as a natural extension of battling social oppression.  Volunteering at burns in the harm reduction center allows me to use my therapeutic skills while also doing triage in the war on drugs.  Additionally, the anti-oppressive interventions suggested by thick libertarian ideas--that is, polycentric, consensual, but participatory action--fit well with the social work values of service, social justice, and the importance of human relationships.  Furthermore, these bottom-up interventions are more likely to respect the dignity and worth of the individual and respect their right to self-determination.

This is a bit rushed, but I'm trying to meet a deadline.  I have to read Johnson and Long.  Maybe I'll do a short reaction post on each the next few days.