SFL Pillars
SFL Pillars
Students For Liberty is an organization that supports liberty for all people. SFL does not dictate the foundations upon which individuals justify their belief in Liberty. Rather, Students For Liberty embraces the diversity of justifications for liberty and encourages debate and discourse on the differing philosophies that underlie liberty. The principles that SFL gathers around are defined in our pillars: Peace, Love Liberty; Freedom of Expression; Government Overreach; Free Society; Free Markets; End the Drug War; and Tech Liberty.
PEACE, LOVE, LIBERTY
Individuals prosper in peaceful and free societies. A society where every individual has a right to exercise their right to life, liberty, and property is a society that is free. We strive toward this ideal every day. History has repeatedly shown that human ingenuity, free markets, and technological progress produce the best solutions to humanity’s most challenging problems—including diseases, food production, and environmental challenges. We endorse peaceful market responses to significant societal challenges.
FOCUS AREAS: Civil Discourse; Human Rights; Free Will and Moral Responsibility
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Every individual has the right to express themselves freely. Freedom of expression includes the right to challenge beliefs, publish ideas, protest, and practice religion. It also means we have a right to associate with others in whatever manner is mutually consensual. Individuals and private institutions should always have the right to set their own rules and decide the terms of their association with other parties.
FOCUS AREAS: Censorship; Free Press; Free Speech; Social Media; Artistic Freedom
GOVERNMENT OVERREACH
We believe in the power of human action where people can communicate, cooperate, and exchange goods and services as they see fit. They can build communities and companies that help improve lives around the globe. States tend toward absolute power over their citizens’ actions. Government’s social, political, and economic interventions interfere with the liberty of free markets and individuals. We do not recognize states’ monopoly on violence.
FOCUS AREAS: Surveillance; Police Brutality; Nanny State Regulations; Pandemic Policy
FREE SOCIETY
We believe in open societies in which individuals make their own decisions and do not face collectivist or tribalist obstacles to their pursuit of happiness. Individuals have complete ownership of their bodies and their actions. Anything that infringes upon people’s responsibilities is an attack on our individuality. We consider economic and political freedoms and human rights the foundations of an open society.
FOCUS AREAS: Freedom of Movement; Immigration Reform; Privacy; LGBTQ; Individual Liberty; Equal Treatment Under Law
FREE MARKETS
Free markets allow individuals to exchange for mutual benefit. Government interventions, such as subsidies, bailouts, licensing, and further selective corporate privileges distort the flow of information and stimuli to create mutual benefit. Regulations often create incentives for unprincipled cronies and benefit them at the expense of others.
FOCUS AREAS: Monetary Policy; Free Market Economy; Healthcare; Free Trade; Property Rights; Education; Free Market Environmentalism
END THE DRUG WAR
There is a silent prohibition that has been going on for more than a century: prohibition on drugs. Since 1971, when U.S. President Nixon started the “war on drugs,” too many individuals have been harmed by this completely ineffective and poorly conceived policy. The war has created illicit markets, international drug cartels, and caused the death of many innocent people.
End the Drug War suggests that we can maintain an attitude that drug use is harmful without having to resort to prohibition. Open Drug Policy aims to advance the policies that reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition and promote the autonomy of individuals over their bodies.
FOCUS AREAS: Criminal Justice Reform; Prohibition; Harm Reduction; Lifestyle regulations
TECH LIBERTY
We are changemakers: we want to reshape the way the world works. For a freer future, we must be bold, curious, and resilient. We spot the problems in our societies and we develop solutions that enhance liberty around the globe. We are activists, we develop campaigns, we invent new ways of thinking about old problems. We don’t fear change—we embrace it.
We raise awareness on technological developments, such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies, the P2P sharing economy, and social networks. Like in old times, the fear of new things produces a public backlash leading to increased government regulations against new technologies. We educate our students about internet freedom and technological progress, thus protecting innovation from powers that fear change.
FOCUS AREAS: Tech Liberty; Gig Economy; Cryptocurrency; Blockchain; Data Protection; Surveillance
