Both Ayn Rand and Aleister Crowley were provided nurturing conditions under which to write, thanks to non-libertarian social systems. (I’m ignoring Rand’s experience in the USSR of course.) It’s hard to know how they would have fared in a purely libertarian surroundings.

That’s the problem. Of all systems (whatever you want to call them), pure libertarianism is the only one that has never been tried.

If we were to move in that direction, certain sacrifices would have to be made (Medicare, public education, public roads, etc.)

Since libertarians are the most devoted to these principles and (theoretically) the most self-sufficient, I recommend a trial stage in which libertarians eschew all government and charity services — any provision for which they have not themselves negotiated. After a reasonable time (say a year), they should report back with a status update. Who knows? The world of extreme selfishness might be not only feasible but so rewarding the rest of us would immediately renounce our claim on others and we would live in perfect individualism (with a brief transition period for people in hospitals — “Time’s up, Grandma. Hit the streets!”).