Inaugural Article about ALE

ALE President, Dr. James Lark, on the Association of Libertarian Educators

The Association of Libertarian Educators (ALE) was established in 2022 to advance the principles of libertarianism within educational institutions, and to foster independent thinking, intellectual integrity, and a willingness to engage different perspectives.  Specifically:

The mission of the Association of Libertarian Educators (ALE) is to promote the libertarian movement in general and the Libertarian Party in particular by supporting educators in fostering an open and tolerant climate of independent thinking, intellectual integrity, and dialogue in educational institutions.

The libertarian perspective generally holds that one may not initiate force against others, and that government is an institution created by “we the people” to protect individual rights.  Such an institution is not an organic entity in nature; it is a tool created by its citizens to protect their rights against internal and external threats.  

This perspective (sometimes referred to as a classical liberal or market liberal perspective) holds that government's only legitimate function is to secure these rights, rather than using force or threat thereof to dictate personal beliefs, impose its preferred social outcomes, etc.  Libertarians advocate placing strong limits on the power of government in order to prevent it from going beyond its legitimate function and violating the rights it was established to protect. 

ALE believes that by (a) helping students develop the ability to think critically, (b) encouraging students to uphold the highest standards of intellectual integrity, and (c) promoting an environment of respectful inquiry and discussion, students are more likely to encounter, consider, and embrace the libertarian perspective.

To achieve its mission, ALE emphasizes that its members should prioritize their roles as educators, and that they must strive to address issues with scrupulous accuracy and fairness.  While they may hope their teaching influences students to evaluate and adopt a libertarian perspective, ALE members should focus upon educating students in their fields of expertise in an atmosphere of intellectual integrity and rigor, rather than proselytizing for a political philosophy and/or promoting specific policy positions.

As a result of this focus, ALE members should emphasize helping students to understand subject material rather than serving as advocates for specific ideological positions and policies.  To the extent that the subject material involves political matters, ALE members should offer uncaricatured views of all philosophical frameworks and encourage students to evaluate those frameworks fairly.  In so doing, ALE members will help students develop critical thinking skills.

An essential goal to help ALE achieve its mission involves promoting a climate of discourse that emphasizes intellectual rigor, where misconceptions and misunderstandings are dispelled and discussants are better able to understand the substantive disagreements arising from genuine differences in values and beliefs.  Such a climate will allow students a better opportunity to encounter and consider uncaricatured representations of the libertarian perspective.

ALE members believe that if students encounter an honest representation of the libertarian perspective, and if those students have both the ability to think critically and a commitment to intellectual integrity, many (perhaps most) students will find the libertarian perspective intellectually sound and morally appealing.  

Another ALE goal is to foster connections and collaboration among libertarian educators.  By providing a platform for networking and collaboration, ALE serves to inform educators about the broader community of libertarian thinkers and practitioners, which should facilitate professional development and the exchange of ideas.

Moreover, ALE can help to inform students and educators about the depth and breadth of the libertarian movement.  By providing resources and facilitating connections with other libertarian organizations, ALE can serve as a gateway for students and educators to explore libertarian ideas and engage with the wider libertarian community.

An ALE project in the works involves the creation of comprehensive guides to those public policy issues where libertarian ideas can provide valuable insights.  Such guides will include a collection of useful resources, along with highlights of the key debates and historical developments concerning that issue.  By presenting a comprehensive overview of the issue, the guides should help students gain a better understanding of the fundamental principles involved, in addition to providing access to important scholarship about the issue.

Those who promote libertarian ideas in educational institutions frequently encounter people whose stated disagreements with libertarian principles/policies suggest misunderstandings or misinterpretations of those principles, rather than a fundamental disagreement with the principles.  Such misunderstandings frequently stem from a lack of historical knowledge or from exposure to misleading narratives.  By providing accessible guides that include references to essential background literature, ALE can equip students and educators with the foundational knowledge required to navigate complex policy discussions.

If ALE is successful in creating an environment of discourse where informed discussions about libertarian principles can occur, in educating students about those principles and their relevance, in helping students become familiar with the libertarian movement, and in building connections among libertarian educators, it will make an important contribution to the libertarian movement.  All educators of libertarian disposition are invited to become involved.

In Liberty,

Jim Lark

May 22, 2024