[L]et me point out that libertarians defend a tradition of liberty that is the fruit of thousands of years of human history.

Obligations may be universal or particular.

But there is no obvious reason for holding that some normal adults are entitled to make choices for other normal adults, as paternalists of both left and right believe.

Libertarians typically argue that particular obligations, at least under normal circumstances, must be created by consent; they cannot be unilaterally imposed by others.

Obviously, all of us have been influenced by those around us.

Equality of rights means that some people cannot simply impose obligations on others, for the moral agency and rights of those others would then be violated.

It is precisely because neither individuals nor small groups can be fully self-sufficient that cooperation is necessary to human survival and flourishing.