User:Vipul/Bleeding-heart libertarianism

Bleeding-heart libertarianism is a moral and political philosophy that combines libertarianism with a significant focus on the well-being of the worst-off people in society. Generally, bleeding-heart libertarians combine a presumption in favor of the free market and individual liberties with a concern for social justice. This puts them somewhat at odds with mainstream libertarians. Bleeding-heart libertarians may be left-libertarians or right-libertarians depending on the extent to which concerns for social justice dominate their philosophy.

Early usage
The first recorded use of the term "bleeding-heart libertarian" seems to have been in a blog post by Stefan Sharkansky. The term was subsequently 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.

Creation of the bleeding heart libertarians website and blog
In March 2011, a bunch of academics who self-identified as bleeding-heart librtarian created a website on bleeding-heart libertarianism, with its main feature being a regularly updated group blog. Regular contributors to the blog include Andrew J. Cohen, Daniel Shapiro, Fernando Teson, Gary Chartier, James Taylor, Jason Brennan, Jessica Flanigan, Kevin Vallier, Matt Zwolinski, Roderick Long, and Steven Horwitz.

Prominent bleeding-heart libertarians
Canadian musician and author Neil Peart has identified himself as a bleeding-heart libertarian.

Criticism
Many libertarians have criticized bleeding-heart libertarians for excessive concern for the poor, the ill-defined nature of social justice, too much reverence for the ideas of Rawls, and not acknowledging the importance of merit and desert. Critics of bleeding-heart libertarianism include Bryan Caplan,  David D. Friedman, and Todd Seavey.

Will Wilkinson, a guest blogger for the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog, has said that while he is in sympathy with many of the bleeding-heart libertarian aims, he does not wish to identify himself as a bleeding-heart libertarian.