This short segment seems very apropos of what I'd like to accomplish with "apologetic libertarian."
To paraphrase Lord Russell, in examining the libertarian political philosophy, it will be important to consider only the facts and determine what truths the facts bear out. He warns that we should not be diverted by what we wish to believe or what we think would benefit society if it were believed.
Lord Russell goes on to give some simple moral advice to the future, "love is wise, hatred is foolish." He explains that we need to learn tolerance and to put up with people saying things we don't wish to hear. He concludes we need to learn a 'kind of charity' and a 'kind of tolerance' for continued life on the planet.
It seems to me that much of Russell's moral admonishment is explicitly baked into the libertarian philosophy, with perhaps the exception of charity. All forms of libertarianism hold in common the rights of the individual to be able to exercise free speech and be free from aggression (legislated tolerance). I believe (breaking a rule already!) that these basic rights, enforced, provide a fertile planting bed for true tolerance to grow and bloom.
As for charity, this is one of those troubling 'leaps of faith' that we are required to take as libertarians and therefore needs closer examination...
