|
|
|
|
|
|
by araneae
2832 days ago
|
|
|
I'm a little confused by your assertation that therefore we can't dismiss it because it's "classically liberal" rather than "libertarian." I think the point still stands - that they have a very particular perspective, however you choose to define that. I happen to be sympathetic with a lot of their viewpoints, but it is in fact very axe-grindy. Reason magazine comes off as a lot more reasonable to me than Quillette, despite not being a libertarian, because it's less reactionary. |
|
|
I'm with you on the axe-grindiness of Quillette, and since you mention it, that's probably why I don't read it much anymore.
"Libertarian" can mean all kinds of things these days, but in the comment to which I was replying, the description connotes associations with things like: extreme positions against state welfare and gun control, extreme laissez-faire economic policy, social Darwinism, Ayn Rand, the Tea Party, etc.
In my (admittedly limited) experience, these themes seem to appear quite frequently in Reason Magazine, and they certainly do on Fox News.
They aren't a focus for Quillette, however, which in my experience, generally embraces more moderate/centrist (i.e., classical liberal) positions on economic and social issues.
The axe-grindiness to which you refer would stem from the fact that a big part of its raison d'être is to confront what it sees as the ideological corruption of academia.
I agree it can be quite histrionic in its coverage of this issue, and it doesn't hold much interest for me.
But it still matters to demarcate between "highly partisan libertarian-right" and more moderate, sober ideological positions.