Bleeding-heart libertarianism is a mix of libertarianism with a mild form of egalitarianism: explicit concern for the least well off in society and willingness to consider steps that make them better off, even if these violate “thin” conceptions of liberty. The bleeding-heart libertarian case for open borders combines the libertarian case for open borders with the utilitarian and egalitarian cases.
Closely related ideas to bleeding-heart libertarianism are thick libertarianism and liberaltarianism.
Below are links to some blog posts and articles from the bleeding-heart libertarian perspective:
- Public Roads and the Right to Immiserate Would-Be Immigrants by Jason Brennan at the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog. This references the starving Marvin hypothetical due to Michael Huemer.
- Justice at a Distance, a blog post by Fernando Teson at the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog, which covers immigration as one of its points.
Blog posts and articles from non-bleeding heart libertarians arguing that bleeding-heart libertarians should take immigration more seriously:
- Libertarians and the Welfare State: Is It Time to Drop the Hard Line? by Bryan Caplan, where he counters bleeding-heart libertarians by arguing that support for the welfare state is an obstacle to freer immigration, and libertarians concerned about the poor should therefore oppose the welfare state.
- “Callous Libertarians”: Missing, or Just Unfairly Maligned? by Bryan Caplan, arguing that even from the bleeding-heart libertarian perspective, freer immigration should be a higher priority than defending the welfare state.
- More Liberaltarian than Thou and The Conscience of a Libertarian, blog posts by the non-bleeding-heart libertarian Bryan Caplan arguing that liberaltarians (a slight variant of bleeding-heart libertarians) should value open borders higher than the welfare state.