The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas seems to have brought out the worst in many people on both sides, not only in the sense of bloodthirst, of which there is sadly plenty, but also in the sense of letting emotion get in the way of clear moral reasoning. To a lesser extent, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to similar results.

From the depths of social media to the heights of the ivory tower, the takes people have proffered on these conflicts have been straight-up wild. Even those who are otherwise quite good on a lot of issues seem to have left their moral compass at the door when weighing in on this topic.

In the midst of this deluge of bad takes, libertarians have an opportunity, and a duty, to bring genuine moral clarity to bear on these issues. If we can be cool-headed and principled, especially in times of crisis, we will be that much more respected, and that much closer to winning the hearts and minds of the masses.