Similarly, attempts to influence politicians directly or to elect politicians, without laying the proper groundwork among eligible voters, are as a rule futile and short-sighted. Even if such attempts succeed initially, the resulting policy changes may well be regarded with widespread disfavor, and a subsequent return to statist policies is likely. This approach might be likened to trying to swim upstream, when one might more efficaciously swim to a nearby riverbank and walk in the desired direction.

If political action involves pragmatic alliances with those who do not understand freedom or its intellectual basis, such alliances may further obscure important principles in the minds of the public. For instance, free-market advocates who join with groups opposing the War on Drugs for other reasons may well come to be perceived, not just as pro-freedom, but as pro-drug, and perhaps as devoid of moral principles. (In reality, the case for freedom rests on clear and strong moral principles, as this course has shown.) Without such alliances, we should note, premature political action has few prospects of success.

In summary, the basic principles of freedom and its underlying philosophy need to be grasped by much of the population before direct political action should be attempted. Clearly, we have not yet reached that point in present-day America. Eventually, of course, political action will be required; organizations such as the Libertarian Party may then play an important role.

^Previous