Libertarianism
Dictatorship, Democracy, Fascism, Military Dictatorship, Communist State, Stratocracy, Totalitarianism, Left-libertarianism, Right-libertarianism, Anarchism, Authoritarianism, Individualism, Communitarianism, Laissez Faire, Free Market Economics
Libertarianism is a term used by political philosophies which seek to promote individual liberty and seek to minimize or abolish the state.
Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in
any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others.
"Left-libertarianism" endorses full self-ownership, but differs on
unappropriated natural resources. "Left-libertarianism" holds that
unappropriated natural resources belong to everyone and must be distributed in some
egalitarian manner.
"Right-libertarianism" holds that unappropriated natural resources may be appropriated by individuals.
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Leonard Read rejected the concepts of "left" and "right" libertarianism, calling them "authoritarian."
Libertarian socialism is often used as a synonym for non-individualist anarchism or socialist anarchism, to dilineate it from individualist libertarianism.
People who do not use "libertarianism" as a synonym for anarchism but use it to refer to individualistic free-market philosophy only, refer to free-market anarchism as "libertarian anarchism."
Libertarianism is also synonymous with classical liberalism.
The word libertarian is an antonym of authoritarian. Till recently the term "libertarianism" was often used as a synonym for
anarchism.
The
Encyclopedia of Libertarianism
As a continuation of the older tradition of classical
liberalism, libertarian thinking draws on a rich body of thought and scholarship.
Contemporary libertarian scholars are continuing that tradition. The Encyclopedia of
Libertarianism is purposed to be a useful compilation of and introduction to libertarian
scholarship. The Reader’s Guide groups content for researchers and students alike,
allowing them to study libertarianism topically, biographically, and by public policy
issues.
Each entry provides an introduction to a topic or policy question relevant to
libertarianism or a biography of a person who has had an impact on libertarianism. Entries
clearly explain libertarian approaches to issues, do not take sides on disputed matters or
engage in polemics, and represent the views of all sides fairly and accurately.
Ronald Hamowy is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, an international society of
scholars founded in 1947 by Hayek, Friedman, and other luminaries of the libertarian
movement.
Libertarianism:
A Primer
Boaz, executive vice-president of the Cato Institute, advocates libertarianism as the
underlying philosophy for 21st-century U.S. politics. Boaz claims that libertarian
principles will minimize government intervention in people's economic and political
choices and enlarge ideas of individual freedom. Boaz argues that libertarian views can
resolve contemporary policy dilemmas, such as drug use or discriminatory employment
practices, better than pluralism or capitalism.
Charles Murray's What It Means to Be a Libertarian approached the subject from a personal
perspective. The intellectual lineage of libertarianism is summarized. Boaz prescribes the
standard libertarian remedies: free minds and free markets.
Americans are rediscovering libertarianism, an alternative to the tired party orthodoxies
of left and right. Because of their growing disdain for government Americans appear to be
drifting toward a libertarian philosophy. Libertarianism and its framework for liberty
under law and economic progress makes it especially suited for the dynamic new era. In the
United States, the bureaucratic leviathan is newly threatened by a resurgence of the
libertarian ideas upon which the country was founded.
David Boaz presents the essential guidebook to the libertarian perspective.
Libertarianism:
A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow
There is a rising interest among the younger generation in the political philosophy of
Libertarianism that stands in radical contrast to authoritarianism. The book is an attempt
to delineate the major positions on which most Libertarians would agree, and to answer the
objections and questions with which Libertarians have to contend.
Libertarianism has been much discussed within political philosophy, science and economy circles. Libertarianism has been so strongly identified with Nozick's version of it that little attention has been devoted to other ideas and arguments. Tibor R. Machan analyses the state-of-the-debate on libertarianism post Nozick. He examines closely the alternative non-Nozickian defenses of libertarianism that have been advanced. Machan achieves a new visibility and prominence for libertarianism.
Real
Libertarianism Assessed: Political Theory after Van Parijs
This collection, including a response by Van Parijs, provides a comprehensive assessment of his "real libertarian" vision of radical social change.
Liberatio
- Hedonistic Libertarianism
Liberatio is a manifesto for the dawn of a new age. Jason Licht, the author of Liberatio, is a die hard Libertarian, Individualist, Hedonist, and Atheist.