“Since when do libertarians not believe in libel and slander laws? Have things changed that much since I left the LP 6 years ago?”
I’m not a member of the party, so I have no idea what they belive in, except in broad strokes. But I remember reading the jist of what I said in a Lysander Spooner book, I think. Or maybe it was someone else. Anyway, it makes sense to me. On a theoretical level, how can you own other people’s thoughts? On a practical level, how can you make sure the public only believes things about a person that are true? If you want to combat vicious lies, I say fight fire with fire, not fire with lawsuits.
It’s very true about not being able to own another’s thoughts. However, damage to reputation through libel and/or slander can lead to real-world damages (especially dealing with businesses, careers, etc...).
But, anyway, we could probably debate this all night, and I don’t think either of us really want to hijack this thread too far! :-)