Neoclassical liberalism


Neoclassical liberalism, also referred to as bleeding-heart libertarianism or the Arizona School liberalism, is a libertarian political philosophy and ideology that focuses on the compatibility of support for civil liberties and free markets on the one hand and a concern for social justice and the well-being of the worst-off on the other. Adherents of bleeding-heart libertarianism broadly hold that an agenda focused upon individual liberty will be of most benefit to the economically weak and socially disadvantaged.

History

The first recorded use of the term "bleeding-heart libertarian" seems to have been in a 1996 essay by Roderick T. Long. It was subsequently used in a blog post by Stefan Sharkansky and later picked up and elaborated on by Arnold Kling in an article for TCS Daily. Since then, the term has been used sporadically by a number of libertarian writers including Anthony Gregory and Bryan Caplan.
In March 2011, a group of academic philosophers, political theorists and economists created the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog. Regular contributors to the blog include Fernando Tesón, Gary Chartier, Jason Brennan, Roderick T. Long and Steven Horwitz.

Criticism

Critics of the bleeding-heart libertarian movement include economist David D. Friedman, for whom bleeding-heart libertarians "insist that social justice ought to be part of libertarianism but are unwilling to tell us what it means."