Libertarianism is a political philosophy that holds that individuals should be allowed complete freedom of action as long as they do not infringe on the freedom of others. This is usually taken by libertarians to mean that no one may initiate coercion, which they define as the use of physical force, the threat of such, or the use of fraud to prevent individuals from having wilful use of their person or property. For libertarians, a "voluntary" action is one not influenced by coercion. Political philosophy is the study of the fundamental questions about the state, government, politics, property, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it should... Statue of Liberty - Liberty is one meaning of freedom. For proper-noun uses of Freedom, see Freedom (disambiguation). ... Coercion is the practice of compelling a person to act by employing threat of force. ...

Libertarians believe that governments should be held to the same moral standards as the individuals of which they are composed. Thus, they oppose government initiation of force, even if it is supported by a democratic majority. Libertarians believe that if individuals are not initiating coercion against others then government should leave them in peace. As a result, they oppose prohibition of "victimless crimes." This opposition to coercion extends into the economic realm, as they generally oppose taxation and government interference in business activities (other than to forbid coercion). Those who do not oppose taxation support it only to the extent that no more taxes are levied than they believe necessary to maximize the protection of individual liberty. Libertarians aim to reduce the size and scope of government. To the extent that libertarians advocate any government at all, its functions tend to be limited to protecting civil liberties and economic liberties (by protecting private property and a free market) through a police force, a military (with no conscription), and courts. Anarcho-capitalist libertarians, on the other hand, maintain that these institutions should be privately owned, operated, and funded. The term democracy indicates a form of government where all the states decisions are exercised directly or indirectly by a majority of its citizenry through a fair elective process. ... A consensual or victimless crime is a crime where all of those involved in the act give consent, and no third parties suffer as a direct result. ... Use of the term The concept of property or ownership has no single or universally accepted definition. ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... This article is about courts of law. ... Anarcho-capitalism is a branch of libertarian political philosophy which calls for a free market, private property, and a society without a state. ...

While libertarianism's influence has grown in the past few decades, most libertarians see their ultimate vision for society as far from realized. In the 1980s, libertarianism grew substantially more popular and gained considerable influence in Republican administrations, though at the national level, the Libertarian Party still fared poorly. ...

Terminology

The term libertarian originally meant anarchist. This use is still common in Europe.

The term "libertarianism" in the above sense has been in widespread use only since the 1950s. Originally, it referred to a variant of anarchist socialism. After the French Government banned anarchism, some French anarchists adopted libertaire as an alternative term. It was first used in print in 1857 by French anarchist Joseph Dejacque in a letter to Pierre-Joseph Proudhon from New Orleans. Dejacque also published a periodical in New York called "Le Libertaire" (The Libertarian) from 1858 to 1861.^{[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Nettlau)} Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... This article describes a range of political philosophies that oppose the state and some forms of social hierarchy. ... For information on mainstream political parties using the term Socialist, see Social democracy and Democratic socialism,For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state, Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, and Libertarian Socialism. ... This article describes a range of political philosophies that oppose the state and some forms of social hierarchy. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Joseph Dejacque (b. ... Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (pronounced [] in BrE, [] in French) (January 15, 1809 – January 19, 1865) was a French anarchist of the 19th century. ... City nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City that Care Forgot Location of New Orleans Country   State     Parish United States   Louisiana     Orleans Parish Mayor C. Ray Nagin Area  - Land  - Water 350. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

This usage spread to English, but for the most part, English-speaking anarchists choose to call themselves anarchists, individualist anarchists, or anarcho-syndicalists, (they may subscribe to certain forms of socialism called libertarian socialism). Often, when distinguishing between the different uses of the term, the word libertarian is qualified as in "left-libertarian" or "right-libertarian." This article describes a range of political philosophies that oppose the state and some forms of social hierarchy. ... Individualist anarchism is a philosophical tradition, appearing primarily in the United States, that emphasises the autonomy of the individual. ... Anarcho-syndicalist flag. ... Libertarian socialism is any one of a group of political philosophies dedicated to opposing coercive forms of authority and social hierarchy, in particular the institutions of capitalism and the state. ...

A typographical convention

When the "L" in Libertarian is capitalized, the word refers specifically to a member of a Libertarian Party, as opposed to someone who favors the philosophy of libertarianism. This distinction is important because some libertarians do not align themselves with a Libertarian Party, and may even be members of other parties. For example, Nobel Prize-winning libertarian economist Milton Friedman, author of the influential book Free to Choose, says he is a member of the United States Republican Party for the sake of "expediency."^{[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_FriedmanMilton)} Libertarian Party can refer to several libertarian political parties, including: United States Libertarian Party Libertarian Party of Canada Movimiento Libertario of Costa Rica The Libertarianz of New Zealand There are also political parties that hold the some of same policies as the above parties but do not use the label... Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ... Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (born July 31, 1912) is a U.S. economist, known primarily for his work on macroeconomics and for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. ... Free to Choose is both a book (ISBN 0156334607) and a ten-part television series. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...

Libertarianism in the political spectrum

While the traditional political spectrum is a line, the Nolan Chart turns it to a plane to accommodate libertarians and others.

Most libertarians do not consider their political philosophy to be right-wing, left-wing, nor centrist. In the U.S. some conservatives such as Andrew Sullivan regard themselves as both conservative and libertarian (differentiating conservative from right-wing), but other libertarians argue that the two conflict and that libertarianism is really a form of liberalism. One example of this position is Friedrich Hayek's Why I am Not a Conservative^{[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Hayek)}. A plot of political viewpoints against economic and personal freedom, drawn by me, released under GFDL. File links The following pages link to this file: Libertarianism Political spectrum Communitarianism Nolan chart Talk:Right-wing politics/archive 1 User:Mat334/Opinions Categories: GFDL images ... A plot of political viewpoints against economic and personal freedom, drawn by me, released under GFDL. File links The following pages link to this file: Libertarianism Political spectrum Communitarianism Nolan chart Talk:Right-wing politics/archive 1 User:Mat334/Opinions Categories: GFDL images ... David Nolan founded the Libertarian Party in 1971. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms that refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially but not exclusively in the American sense of the word... In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ... Conservatism is any of several historically-related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Andrew Sullivan (born 10 August 1963) is an Anglo-American journalist and intellectual, known both for his heterodox personal-political identity (HIV-positive, gay, libertarian/conservative, and Catholic) and for his pioneering efforts in the field of weblog journalism. ... Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defense of individual liberty as the purpose of government. ... Friedrich von Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (May 8, 1899 in Vienna – March 23, 1992 in Freiburg) was an economist and social scientist of the Austrian School, noted for his defense of free-market capitalism against a rising tide of socialist thought in the mid-20th century. ...

Instead of a "left-right" spectrum, some libertarians use a two-dimensional space with "personal freedom" on one axis and "economic freedom" on the other called the Nolan Chart, which is named after David Nolan, who designed the chart and also founded the United States Libertarian Party. A similar chart and political quiz to place individuals on it is promoted by the Advocates for Self Government^{[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Quiz)}. The Nolan chart is a political diagram created by the Libertarian David Nolan. ... David Nolan founded the Libertarian Party in 1971. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party created in 1971. ...

Some of the chart's critics argue that the libertarian definition of "freedom" is flawed because it ignores the effects powerlessness and poverty have on liberty. Others argue that the associated political quiz is biased towards libertarianism or that the chart dismisses nonlibertarian values.^{[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Huben2)} Statue of Liberty - Liberty is one meaning of freedom. For proper-noun uses of Freedom, see Freedom (disambiguation). ...

Classical liberalism

Main article: Libertarianism and Classical Liberalism Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defense of individual liberty as the purpose of government. ...

Libertarians see their origins in the tradition of classical liberalism, and often use the terms interchangeably. The founders of the U.S. were called "liberals" at the time, as they opposed the European restrictions on individual liberty. Thomas Jefferson is credited as saying that "the government that governs best, governs least," which shares a common flavor with libertarianism. Libertarians tend to agree with the views of the liberal thinker John Stuart Mill on liberty but disagree with his socialist politics and with his application of utilitarianism. The original framers of the U.S. Consitution were noteably cognizant of what they perceived as a danger of majority rule in oppressing freedom of the individual. For example, James Madison, in Federalist Paper No. 10 advocates a republic over a democracy precisely to protect the individual from the majority.^{[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Madison)} Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defense of individual liberty as the purpose of government. ... Order: Third President Vice President: Aaron Burr; George Clinton Term of office: March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809 Preceded by: John Adams Succeeded by: James Madison Date of birth: April 13, 1743 Place of birth: Shadwell, Virginia Date of death: July 4, 1826 Place of death: Charlottesville, Virginia First Lady... John Stuart Mill (May 20, 1806 – May 8, 1873), aka JS Mill, an English philosopher and political economist, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. ... On Liberty is a philosophical work in the English language by 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill, first published in 1859. ... For information on mainstream political parties using the term Socialist, see Social democracy and Democratic socialism,For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state, Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, and Libertarian Socialism. ... Utilitarianism is a theory of ethics based on quantitative maximisation of happiness for society or humanity. ... This article is on the political theory of republicanism. ...

Some argue that the term classical liberalism should be reserved for early liberal thinkers for the sake of clarity and accuracy. They may also argue that there are important differences between many libertarian and classical liberal thinkers. For example, many modern libertarians view the very wealthy as having earned their place, while the classical liberals were often skeptical of the rich, businesses, and corporations, which they saw as aristocratic. Thomas Jefferson in particular was critical of the growth of corporations, which would form an important part of a libertarian society. Order: Third President Vice President: Aaron Burr; George Clinton Term of office: March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809 Preceded by: John Adams Succeeded by: James Madison Date of birth: April 13, 1743 Place of birth: Shadwell, Virginia Date of death: July 4, 1826 Place of death: Charlottesville, Virginia First Lady...

Regardless of the term's accuracy, it is widely used by libertarians to describe themselves. Advocacy of free markets, free trade, limited government, and a focus on individual liberty unite the two philosophies. A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... A type of government in which the functions and powers exercised by that government are prescribed, limited, and restricted by law, usually in a written constitution. ...

Libertarian politics and philosophy

Many libertarians, including the Libertarian Party of the United States consider the Statue of Liberty to be an important symbol of their ideas. Others comment on the irony of libertarians choosing "a big government statue" as the symbol of an anti-state movement^{[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Huben)}.

Libertarians tend to call themselves "individualists," and oppose anything that they see as paternalistic or collectivist. Many libertarians hold that certain personal liberties (such as privacy and freedom of speech) and economic liberties (such as a right to own property, and freedom to trade, profit, labor, or invest) are both justifiable on the same philosophical or ethical foundations. Some libertarians have elaborate philosophies to support their positions, while others are simply drawn to freedom instinctively. Statue of Liberty File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Statue of Liberty File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party created in 1971. ... The Statue of Liberty Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty, is a statue, given to the U.S. by France in the late 19th century, that stands at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor as a welcome to all: returning Americans... Traditional cultural paternalism: Father Junipero Serra in a modern portrayal at Mission San Juan Capistrano, California Paternalism often refers to the hierarchic pattern of the family applied as a paradigm to state policy; it also can refer to paternalistic attitudes and actions by individuals and non-state institutions. ... Cultures are typically divided into two categories: collectivist and individualist. ... Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to stop information about themselves from becoming known to people other than those they choose to give the information to. ... A public demonstration Freedom of speech is the liberty to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related liberty to hear what others have stated. ...

Rights and the law

Main articles: libertarian views of rights and Libertarian theories of law Libertarians and Objectivists limit what they define as rights to variations on the right to be left alone, and argue that other rights such as the right to a good education or the right to have free access to water are not legitimate rights and do not deserve the same... Libertarian theories of law build on libertarianism or classical liberalism. ...

Libertarians believe that initiation of physical force, the threat of such, or fraud to compel behavior or acquire property of individuals should be regarded as a violation of their individual rights. By "initiation" they mean a first use; force is not considered unethical when it is used in response to an initiation of force, threat, or fraud (as in self-defense). Most rights-focused libertarians would argue that the only "rights" that should be established are variants of "the right to be left alone" (also called negative rights). According to Capitalism Magazine's online tour: A Negative right is a right, either moral or decreed by law, to not be subject to an action of another (usually abuse or coercion) so that restraint is incumbent upon another, as opposed to a positive right which is a right to be provided with something by the positive... Capitalism. ...

Rights are not guarantees to things, but only guarantees to freedom of action (right to liberty)—and a guarantee to the results of those actions (right to property).

The only obligation one's rights impose on others is for them to leave you alone, i.e. free to act within your sphere of rights.^{[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Capitalism)}

This view has caused controversy, as many "rights" to be provided with something by the actions of others ("positive rights") are now the status quo in the United States, especially in politically thorny areas like racial discrimination and health care. Libertarians believe that providing for others should be a matter of private and voluntary decision. A Positive right is a right, either moral or decreed by law, to be provided with something so that it is incumbent upon another to act, as opposed to a negative right which is a right to not be subject to the action of another. ... An African-American drinks out of a water cooler designated for use by colored patrons in 1939 at a streetcar terminal in Oklahoma City. ... Health care or healthcare is an industry associated with the provision of medical care to individuals. ...

Libertarians argue that only individuals have rights—never groups. Thus, the government has no original rights but only those duties with which it has been lawfully entrusted by individual citizens, and majority rule is not considered sufficient justification for government coercion. To protect individual rights, libertarians tend to favor a system of law based on a constitution, possibly supplemented by a bill of rights, that limits the range of government actions against individuals and protects them from "tyranny of the majority." Many libertarians favor common law, which they see as less arbitrary, more consistent, and more adaptable over time. Friedrich Hayek had some of the most developed ideas on what libertarian law would be like, while Richard Epstein, Robert Nozick, and Randy Barnett are three of the most influential modern thinkers in this area. A bill of rights is a statement of certain rights that citizens and/or residents of a free and democratic society have (or ought to have) under the laws of that society. ... On Liberty is a philosophical work in the English language by 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill, first published in 1859. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... Friedrich von Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (May 8, 1899 in Vienna – March 23, 1992 in Freiburg) was an economist and social scientist of the Austrian School, noted for his defense of free-market capitalism against a rising tide of socialist thought in the mid-20th century. ... Richard Epstein is currently a professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School. ... Robert Nozick (November 16, 1938 – January 23, 2002) was an American philosopher and Pellegrino University Professor at Harvard University. ... Randy E. Barnett is a lawyer, law professor at Boston University, and legal theorist in the United States, noted for his libertarian theory of law and his work on contract theory and constitutional law and theory. ...

A popular perception of libertarians is that they would allow pollution of the environment. However, libertarians oppose environmental damage as an act of initiatory coercion, and would impose civil or criminal penalties against it. For example, Russell Means, a Native American activist who competed for the 1988 presidential nomination for the Libertarian Party says: "A libertarian society would not allow anyone to injure others by pollution because it insists on individual responsibility."^{[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Means)} The U.S. Libertarian Party opposes pollution as "a violation of individual rights" in its platform. Critics that are aware of this position see the libertarian view of property rights as a threat to the environment, rather than a cure.^{[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Partridge)} They also claim that many aspects of the environment, such as scenic beauty, are extremely hard to valuate. Russell Means (born November 10, 1939) is one of contemporary Americas best-known and prolific activists for the rights of American Indians. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ...

Private property

Libertarians often justify property rights on the basis of self-ownership or the right to life. They reason that claims by others on one's labor and its products are tantamount to slavery, and may argue that if individuals feel reasonably secure that their produce will not be confiscated (or treated as collective property as in socialism), then they are more likely to be productive and therefore contributive to the material wealth of themselves and society. Libertarians believe that capitalism is the only system that allows for and protects this form of self-ownership and external property. Self-ownership is the condition where a society recognizes individuals right to control their selves without interference by others. ... The term right to life is a political term used in controversies over various issues that involve the taking of a life (or what is perceived to be a life). ... For information on mainstream political parties using the term Socialist, see Social democracy and Democratic socialism,For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state, Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, and Libertarian Socialism. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see definitions of capitalism). ...

Libertarian economic views

Main Article: Libertarian economic views The Austrian School of economics and the Chicago School of economics are important foundations the economic system favored by modern libertarians — capitalism, where the means of production are privately owned, economic and financial decisions are made privately rather than by state control, and goods and services are exchanged in a...

Libertarians believe that the means of production should be privately owned, and that investments, production, distribution, income, and prices should be determined through the operation of a free market rather than by centralized state control. Hence, in opposition to statism and socialism they support capitalism. According to libertarians, government interventions such as taxation and regulation are at best necessary evils (as they involve coercion and disrupt markets). Libertarians contend that independent, subjective valuations by individuals interacting in a free market are the only sensible means of making economic decisions, and that any attempt by a centralized authority to override these decisions by decree will fail or have overall negative consequences (see Austrian School). Libertarians favor separation of government and economy, therefore they also oppose all collusion between government and business (see crony capitalism) that would override the free market. Economists agree that decentralized decision-making is an important part of efficient markets, but most non-free-market economists argue that market failures tend to result unless government intervenes. While libertarians believe in the efficacy of free markets to allocate resources efficiently and equitably, they would not allow market forces to occasion any violations of individual negative liberty. Moreover, they oppose any coercion that would be employed to remedy what some perceive as "market failures." In Marxist economics and its contemporary derivatives, the means of production [in German: Produktionsmittel] refers to physical, non-human, inputs used in production. ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... Statism is a term to describe any economic system where a government implements a significant degree of centralized economic planning,which may include state ownership of the means of production, as opposed to a system where the overwhelming majority of economic planning occurs at a decentralized level by private individuals... For information on mainstream political parties using the term Socialist, see Social democracy and Democratic socialism,For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state, Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, and Libertarian Socialism. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see definitions of capitalism). ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... The Austrian School is a school of economic thought which rejects opposing economists reliance on methods used in natural science for the study of human action, and instead bases its formalism of economics on relationships through logic or introspection called praxeology. ... Crony capitalism or capitalist cronyism is a pejorative term that asserts that a particular capitalist economy may depend on an extremely close relationship between private business and the state institutions of politics and government, rather than by the espoused equitable concepts such as the free market, open competition, and economic... In economics, a market failure is a situation in which markets do not efficiently organize production or allocate goods and services to consumers. ... The philosophical concept of negative liberty is the absence of coercion from others. ...

Libertarians tend to not see unequal wealth distribution as a problem, and oppose any initiative that would seek to forcibly "redistribute" resources in an egalitarian manner. Some reason that welfare programs serve as a perverse incentive to keep individuals from working to earn a living, and that they tend to perpetuate unemployment and poverty^{[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_cleveland)}. The maximization of economic freedom, they assert, would reduce poverty by making the economy more efficient, obviating the perceived need for tax-funded programs. Moreover, they believe that any temporary equality of outcome gained by redistribution would quickly collapse without continuous coercion, reasoning that people's differing economic decisions would allow those that were more productive or traded more effectively to quickly gain disproportionate wealth. They see economic inequality as a necessary outcome of people's freedom to choose their own actions, which may or may not be profitable. Libertarians oppose forcing individuals to subsidize unprofitable businesses through taxation (see corporate welfare). Likewise, they oppose trade barriers to maintain businesses who would otherwise fail in the face of international competition, as well as oppose tax-funded programs such as The National Endowment for the Arts to support unprofitable artists. Libertarians believe all or almost all government spending and programs should be eliminated unless they are directly involved in protecting liberty and that private institutions should replace them. When dismantling government services is impossible, many libertarians (like Milton Friedman) prefer market reforms like school vouchers to the status quo, while others (like Lew Rockwell) see such programs as a threat to private industry and as a covert means of expanding government^{[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Friedrock)}. A perverse incentive is a term for an incentive that has the opposite effect to that intended. ... Corporate welfare, also called wealthfare is a pejorative term first coined by Ralph Nader in 1956 to describe a governments bestowal of grants and/or tax breaks on one or more corporations or other special favorable treatment from the government. ... Barriers to international trade can take many forms, including: import duties import licenses export licenses import taxes tariffs agricultural subsidies non-tariff barriers However, most trade barriers all work on the same principle: the imposition of some sort of cost on trade that raises the price of the traded products. ... The National Endowment for the Arts is a United States federally funded program that offers support and funding for projects that exhibit artistic excellence. ... Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (born July 31, 1912) is a U.S. economist, known primarily for his work on macroeconomics and for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. ... An education voucher, commonly called a school voucher, is a certificate by which parents are given the ability to pay for the education of their children at a school of their choice, rather than the public school to which they were assigned. ... Llewellyn Rockwell, more commonly known as Lew Rockwell, is a paleolibertarian political commentator and economist in the United States. ...

Some libertarians think that there should be no taxes at all, while Milton Friedman supported negative income tax, and geolibertarians defend Land Value Tax. A negative income tax is a method of tax reform that is popular among economists, but has never been fully implemented. ... Georgism, named for Henry George (1839-1897), is a philosophy and economic theory that follows from the belief that although everyone owns what they create; land, and everything else supplied by nature, belongs equally to all humanity. ... Land Value Taxation (LVT) is the policy of raising state revenues by charging each landholder a portion of the assessed site-only value of the unimproved land. ...

The libertarian movement

Libertarians and their allies are not a homogenous group, but have collaborated to form think tanks, political parties, and other projects. For example, Austrian school economist Murray Rothbard co-founded the John Randolph Club, the Center for Libertarian Studies, and the Cato Institute^{[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_lpnews)} to support an independent libertarian movement, and joined David Nolan in founding the United States Libertarian Party in 1971. (Rothbard ceased activity with the Libertarian Party in 1985 and some of his followers like Lew Rockwell are hostile to the group.) In the U.S. today, some libertarians support the Libertarian Party, some support no party, and some attempt to work within more powerful parties despite their differences. The Republican Liberty Caucus (a wing of the Republican Party) advances libertarian views. A similar organization, the Democratic Freedom Caucus, exists within the Democratic Party, but is less organized. Republican Congressman Ron Paul is also a member of the Libertarian Party. This article is about the institution. ... A political party is a political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power within a government. ... Murray Newton Rothbard Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2, 1926 - January 7, 1995) was an American economist and political theorist belonging to the Austrian School of Economics who helped define modern libertarianism and anarcho-capitalism. ... The John Randoph Club (JRC) is a paleoconservative social and political organization founded in the 1980s and operated by the Rockford Institute with chapters throughout the United States. ... The Cato Institute is a non-profit public policy research foundation (think tank) with strong libertarian leanings (despite wide public perception that it is a conservative think-tank), headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is named after Catos Letters, a series of early 18th century British essays expounding the... David Nolan founded the Libertarian Party in 1971. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party created in 1971. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Llewellyn Rockwell, more commonly known as Lew Rockwell, is a paleolibertarian political commentator and economist in the United States. ... The Republican Liberty Caucus is a political organization dedicated to electing and supporting what they call liberty-minded, limited-government individuals within the Republican Party. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The Democratic Freedom Caucus (DFC) is a small caucus within the United States Democratic Party seeking to promote libertarian political views. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Representative Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul, MD (born August 20, 1935) is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texass 14th congressional district (map). ...

Movimiento Libertario is one of the most successful libertarian political parties in the world.

Costa Rica's Movimiento Libertario (Libertarian Movement Party) is a prominent non-U.S. libertarian party that controls roughly 10% of Costa Rica's national legislature^{[14] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Sanchez)}. Movimiento Libertario is considered the first Libertarian organization in history to accomplish substantial electoral success at the national level. This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... The Libertarian Movement Party, known widely by its Spanish name Partido Movimiento Libertario is a libertarian political party in Costa Rica. ... The Libertarian Movement Party, known widely by its Spanish name Partido Movimiento Libertario is a libertarian political party in Costa Rica. ...

In 2001, the Free State Project was founded by Jason Sorens, a political scientist and libertarian activist who argued that 20,000 libertarians should migrate to a single U.S. state in order to concentrate their activism. In August of 2003, the membership of the Free State Project chose New Hampshire. However, as of 2005, there are concerns over the low rate of growth in signed Free State Project participants. In addition, discontented Free State Project participants, in protest of the choice of New Hampshire, started rival projects, including the Free West Alliance, to concentrate activism in a different state or region. There is also a European Free State Project (http://www.europeanfreestate.org/). 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Free State Project (FSP) is a plan to have 20,000 or more (self-proclaimed) liberty-oriented people move to a single state of the United States, where it is intended they will influence local political policy. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... State nickname: The Granite State Other U.S. States Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Governor John Lynch Official languages English Area 24,239 km² (46th)  - Land 23,249 km²  - Water 814 km² (3. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Free West Alliance (FWA) is an organization attempting to enhance liberty in the three states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, both by concentrating freedom-seekers there via immigration, and by energizing the large, existing freedom-loving populations within these states. ...

For a list of libertarian political parties, think tanks, and other projects, see External Links below. Libertarianism is a political philosophy that holds that individuals should be allowed complete freedom of action as long as they do not infringe on the freedom of others. ...

Disputes among libertarians

Libertarians do not agree on every topic. Although they share a common tradition of thinkers from centuries past to contemporary times, no thinker is considered a common authority whose opinions are universally accepted. Rather, they are generally considered a reference to compare one's opinions and arguments with. Jacob Levy, writing for the weblog The Volokh Conspiracy, writes that "there hasn't been any one libertarian organization that has the semi-authoritative position that National Review had for a couple of generations of conservatism — or that, say, the Leonard Peikoff group [the Ayn Rand Institute] has among orthodox Objectivists."^{[15] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Levy)} The first use of the term weblog. ... The Volokh Conspiracy is a weblog named after UCLA School of Law professor Eugene Volokh, one of its contributors. ... National Review (NR) is a neoconservative political magazine founded by author William F. Buckley, Jr. ... Leonard Peikoff circa 1970 Leonard Peikoff (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1933) is an Objectivist philosopher. ... The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism is a philosophical advocacy organization which was established in 1985 by Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rands designated legal and supposed intellectual heir. ... Objectivism is the philosophy of Ayn Rand. ...

One illustration of this disagreement is the recent use of the term Neolibertarian to denote libertarians (both small and big 'L') who advocate domestic incrementalism and a strong, interventionist U.S. foreign policy. A subset of libertarian thought that embraces incrementalism and pragmatism domestically and a strong, interventionist foreign policy. ...

Anarcho-capitalists and minarchists

The Libertatis Æquilibritas is a symbol of anarcho-capitalism. Many libertarians and Objectivists also use the dollar sign as a symbol.

Main articles: Minarchism and Anarcho-capitalism Gold Libertatis Aequilibritas This image was taken from [1] with explicit written permission from the copyright holder: Ben, Go ahead using the images. ... Gold Libertatis Aequilibritas This image was taken from [1] with explicit written permission from the copyright holder: Ben, Go ahead using the images. ... Libertatis Æquilibritas - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The dollar is the name of the official currency in several countries, dependencies and other regions (see list below), including the US dollar, the worlds most widely circulated currency (see list below). ... In civics, Minarchism, sometimes called minimal statism, is the view that government should be as small as possible. ... Anarcho-capitalism is a branch of libertarian political philosophy which calls for a free market, private property, and a society without a state. ...

There is no consensus among libertarians about how much government is necessary and whether there is a right to be defended by others. Minarchists believe that the government should be limited exclusively (or almost exclusively) to protecting rights. For them, the legitimate functions of government might include the maintenance of the courts, the police, the military, and perhaps a few other functions (e.g., roads or schools). In civics, Minarchism, sometimes called minimal statism, is the view that government should be as small as possible. ... This article is about courts of law. ...

Anarcho-capitalists wish to keep the government out of matters of justice and protection, preferring to delegate these issues to private groups. Anarcho-capitalists argue that the minarchist belief that a state monopoly on coercion can be contained within any reasonable limits is unrealistic. Anarcho-capitalism is a branch of libertarian political philosophy which calls for a free market, private property, and a society without a state. ... In economics, a monopoly (from the Greek monos, one + polein, to sell) is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one provider of a kind of product or service. ...

With the exception of a few groups, including some anarcho-capitalists and those influenced by an orthodox interpretation of Objectivist philosophy, the minarchist/anarcho-capitalist division is generally friendly. Since both minarchists and anarcho-capitalists believe that existing governments are far too intrusive, the two factions seek change in almost exactly the same directions, at least in the short term. Some libertarian philosophers such as Tibor Machan argue that, properly understood, minarchism and anarcho-capitalism are not in contradiction. ^{[16] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Machan)} Objectivism is the philosophy of Ayn Rand. ...

Consequences and natural law

While some libertarians do not emphasize the justifications of their beliefs, those that do can be broadly classified into two major categories: those who emphasize individual moral rights, and those who believe that political rights are justifiable for practical reasons such as economic efficiency. For those in the former group, such as Robert Nozick, Murray Rothbard, and Hans-Hermann Hoppe, protecting rights is an end in itself. Though she rejects the label "libertarian", Ayn Rand advocated a similar but distinct form of rights-based natural law. Robert Nozick (November 16, 1938 – January 23, 2002) was an American philosopher and Pellegrino University Professor at Harvard University. ... Murray Newton Rothbard Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2, 1926 - January 7, 1995) was an American economist and political theorist belonging to the Austrian School of Economics who helped define modern libertarianism and anarcho-capitalism. ... Hans-Hermann Hoppe (born September 2, 1949) is an Austrian school economist and controversial anarcho-capitalist philosopher. ... Ayn Rand (February 2, 1905 – March 6, 1982; first name pronounced (IPA) (rhymes with mine)), born Alissa Alice Zinovievna Rosenbaum, was a popular and controversial American philosopher and novelist, best known for her philosophy of Objectivism and her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. ... In law, natural law is the doctrine that just laws are immanent in nature (that can be claimed as discovered but not created by such things as a bill of rights) and/or that they can emerge by natural process of resolving conflicts (as embodied by common law). ...

Representatives of the latter group, such as Milton Friedman, instead emphasize arguments that capitalism is the most effective means of promoting social good. This is a more pragmatic, consequentialist line of reasoning. Consequentialist libertarians favor protection of rights not because they consider rights to be sacred, but because, in their view, protecting rights produces a society which has good results, such as an increase in wealth, safety, happiness, and fairness. Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (born July 31, 1912) is a U.S. economist, known primarily for his work on macroeconomics and for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. ... Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which originated in the United States in the late 1800s. ... Consequentialism is the belief that what ultimately matters in evaluating actions or policies of action are the consequences that result from choosing one action or policy rather than the alternative. ...

Some, like Frédéric Bastiat see a natural harmony between these two points of view, and do not attempt to establish one view as truer than the other. Frédéric Bastiat Claude Frédéric Bastiat (June 30, 1801–December 24, 1850) was a French classical liberal author and political economist. ...

The role of Objectivism

The libertarian Reason magazine dedicated an issue to Ayn Rand's influence one hundred years after her birth.

Main article: Libertarianism and Objectivism Ayn Rand cover for Reason Magazine. ... Ayn Rand cover for Reason Magazine. ... Reason magazine is a leading libertarian magazine from the Reason Foundation. ... Ayn Rand (February 2, 1905 – March 6, 1982; first name pronounced (IPA) (rhymes with mine)), born Alissa Alice Zinovievna Rosenbaum, was a popular and controversial American philosopher and novelist, best known for her philosophy of Objectivism and her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. ... Since they both arose in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Libertarianism and Objectivism have had a close yet sometimes contentious relationship, with Objectivism being a significant influence upon libertarian political philosophies. ...

Libertarianism and Objectivism have a complex relationship. Though they share many of the same political goals, Objectivists see libertarians as plagiarists of their ideas "with the teeth pulled out of them",^{[17] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Rand)} whereas libertarians generally see Objectivists as dogmatic, unrealistic, and uncompromising. According to Reason editor Nick Gillespie in the magazine's March 2005 issue focusing on Objectivism's influence, Ayn Rand is "one of the most important figures in the libertarian movement... Rand remains one of the best-selling and most widely influential figures in American thought and culture" in general and in libertarianism in particular. Still, he confesses that he is embarrassed by his magazine's association with her ideas.^{[18] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Gillespie)} In the same issue, Cathy Young says that "Libertarianism, the movement most closely connected to Rand's ideas, is less an offspring than a rebel stepchild."^{[19] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Young)} Though they reject what they see as Randian dogmas, libertarians like Young still believe that "Rand's message of reason and liberty... could be a rallying point" for libertarianism. Objectivism is the philosophy of Ayn Rand. ... Reason magazine is a leading libertarian magazine from the Reason Foundation. ... Nick Gillespie has been the Editor-in-Chief of Reason magazine since 2000. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Ayn Rand (February 2, 1905 – March 6, 1982; first name pronounced (IPA) (rhymes with mine)), born Alissa Alice Zinovievna Rosenbaum, was a popular and controversial American philosopher and novelist, best known for her philosophy of Objectivism and her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. ... Cathy Young (Ekaterina Jung) was born in the Soviet Union in 1963 but emigrated to the United States in 1980 at the age of 17. ...

Other controversies among libertarians

These controversies are addressed in separate articles:

• Libertarian perspectives on political alliances: Most libertarians are political allies with liberals' noneconomic issues. Others ally with isolationist, religious paleoconservatives, despite sharp disagreement on economic issues.
• Libertarian perspectives on intellectual property: Some libertarians believe that property rights in ideas and other intangible goods are natural rights that deserve just as much state protection as property rights in physical goods. Others justify intellectual property for utilitarian reasons. They argue that intellectual property rights are required to maximize innovation. Still others believe that "intellectual property" is a euphemism for intellectual protectionism and should be abolished altogether.
• Libertarian perspectives on immigration: Natural law libertarians generally support freedom of movement, but some argue that open borders amount to legalized trespassing. Consequentialist libertarians may decide the issue in terms of what is best for the economy.
• Libertarian perspectives on abortion: The abortion debate among libertarians centers around whether the fetus is a person (and thus has its own rights) or a part of the mother's body (in which case it is subject to her wishes). A secondary controversy is the role of the state in regulating abortion, if it is in fact immoral.
• Libertarian perspectives on the death penalty: Some libertarians support the death penalty on self-defense or retributive justice grounds. Others see it as an excessive abuse of state power.
• Libertarian perspectives on foreign intervention: Most libertarians are suspicious of government intervention in the affairs of other countries, especially violent intervention. Others (such as those influenced by Objectivism) argue that intervention is not unethical when a foreign government is abusing the rights of its citizens but whether a nation should intervene depends on its own self-interest.
• Libertarian perspectives on gay rights: Most libertarians feel that adults have a right to chose their own lifestyle or sexual peference, provided that such expression does not trample on the equal freedom of other people to chose their own sexual peference or religious freedom. Yet, there has been some debate among libertarians as to how to respond to the issue of gay marriage and gays in the armed forces.
• Libertarian perspectives on inheritance: Libertarians may disagree over what to do in absence of a will or contract in the event of death, and over posthumous property rights.
• Libertarian perspectives on natural resources: Some libertarians (such as free market environmentalists) want to avoid mismanagement of public resources through private ownership of all natural resources, while others (such as geolibertarians) believe that such resources (especially land) cannot be considered property.

Libertarian perspectives on political alliances vary greatly, with controversies among libertarians as to which alliances are acceptable or useful to the movement. ... Isolationism is a diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations. ... Religion—sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices and institutions associated with such belief. ... The term paleoconservative (sometimes shortened to paleo or paleocon when the context is clear) refers to an American branch of conservative Old Right thought that stands against both the mainstream tradition of Republicanism and the National Review magazine. ... One question that divides libertarians is the legitimacy (or lack thereof) of privileges such as copyright, patent, and trademark — those usually subsumed under the rubric of intellectual property. Many libertarians, particularly those unaware of online politics, dont have a strong opinion on the topic. ... In law, particularly in common law jurisdictions, intellectual property or IP refers to a legal entitlement which sometimes attaches to the expressed form of an idea or of other intangible subject matter. ... For libertarians, immigration can be a controversial question. ... A uniquely controversial issue, particularly in American politics, is abortion. ... Most libertarians believe that death penalty is an extreme exertion of state power and is of little use in a free society, while it is of great use to tyrants. ... Death Penalty World Map Color Key: Blue: Abolished for all crimes Green: Abolished for crimes not committed in exceptional circumstances (such as crimes committed in time of war) Orange: Abolitionist in Practice Red: Legal Form of Punishment Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered... Self-defense usually refers to the use of violence to protect oneself and is a possible justification for this otherwise illegal act. ... Retributive justice is a theory of criminal justice wherein punishments are justified on the grounds that the criminal has created an imbalance in the social order that must be addressed by action against the criminal. ... Broadly speaking, while all libertarians are suspicious of a national government intervening in the internal affairs of other nations, some hold that such intervention can never be justified, while others consider that the world is now so interconnected that especially bad conditions in another nation will eventually impact at home... The Libertarian perspective on gay rights has been a topic of debate among libertarians, especially American libertarians. ... Most libertarians believe individuals should have complete freedom of determination of their propertys fate after death (once all open contracts have been settled). ... Libertarian controversy regarding natural resources, (especially land). ... Free market environmentalism is an ideology that argues the free market is the best tool to preserve the health and sustainability of the environment. ... The tragedy of the commons is a metaphor used to illustrate the conflict between individual interests and the common good. ... Georgism, named for Henry George (1839-1897), is a philosophy and economic theory that follows from the belief that although everyone owns what they create; land, and everything else supplied by nature, belongs equally to all humanity. ...

Criticism of libertarianism

See main article: Criticism of libertarianism Conservative criticism Conservatives often argue that government is needed to maintain social order and morality. ...

Conservatives often argue that the state is needed to maintain social order and morality. They may argue that excessive personal freedoms encourage dangerous and irresponsible behavior. Some of the most commonly debated issues here are sexual norms, the drug war, and public education. Some, such as the conservative Jonah Goldberg of National Review consider libertarianism "a form of arrogant nihilism" that is both overly tolerant of nontraditional lifestyles (like drug addiction) and intolerant towards other political views. In the same article, he writes "You don't turn children into responsible adults by giving them absolute freedom. You foster good character by limiting freedom, and by channeling energies into the most productive avenues. That's what all good schools, good families, and good societies do... pluralism [should not be]... a suicide pact."^{[20] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_goldberg2)} A sexual norm can be an individual norm or a social norm. ... The prohibition of drugs through legislation or religious law is a common means of controlling the perceived negative consequences of recreational drug use at a society- or world-wide level. ... In the United States at the national level, public education is supervised by the Department of Education Public education is schooling provided by the government, and paid for by taxes. ... Jonah Jacob Goldberg (born March 21, 1969) is an American conservative commentator, probably best known for his contributions on politics and culture to National Review Online, where he is the editor-at-large. ... National Review (NR) is a neoconservative political magazine founded by author William F. Buckley, Jr. ...

Some liberals, such as John Rawls and Ernest Partridge, argue that implied social contracts and democracy justify government actions that harm some individuals so long as they are beneficial overall. They may further argue that rights and markets can only function among "a well-knit community of citizens" that rests on social obligations libertarians reject. These critics argue that without this foundation, the libertarian form of government will either fail or be expanded beyond recognition.^{[21] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Partridge)} John Rawls (February 21, 1921 – November 24, 2002) was a philosopher, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard University and author of A Theory of Justice (1971), Political Liberalism, and The Law of Peoples. ... Social contract is a phrase used in philosophy, political science, and sociology to denote a real or hypothetical agreement within a state regarding the rights and responsibilities of the state and its citizens, or more generally a similar concord between a group and its members. ...

The argument that property itself is theft, promoted by many anarchists, would undermine almost all of capitalist theory if successfully argued. Some also argue that current property owners obtained their property unfairly, and therefore lack rightful or complete claim. This is especially true in the Americas where, they argue, land was stolen from its Native American owners, but applies in any context where critics believe the power of the rich enables them to gain unearned profits at the expense of their workers. Property is theft! is a slogan coined by the French anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in his book What is Property? Or, an Inquiry into the Principle of Right of Government. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ...

Other criticism focuses on economics. Critics argue that where libertarian economic theory (laissez-faire capitalism) has been implemented (as in Chile, 19th century Britain, and 19th and 20th century U.S.), the results show that libertarian economic ideas threaten freedom, democracy, human rights, and economic growth^{[22] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Kangas)}. In addition, some critics claim that libertarianism's anti-statism would eliminate necessary government services. A frequently cited example is health care; critics argue that a lack of medical knowledge among consumers, and what they believe to be a moral requirement of society to provide service for those who cannot pay, make sufficient health care impossible in a free market. These critics claim that a nationalized health care system provides better outcomes than does the market, and that health care, contrary to libertarian positions, is a public good justifying coercion^{[23] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Yglesias)}. Health care or healthcare is an industry associated with the provision of medical care to individuals. ... In economics, a public good is a good, i. ...

Others critics, such as Jeffrey Friedman, editor of Critical Review magazine, argue that libertarians oversimplify issues such as the efficacy of state intervention, shifting the burden of proof to their opponents without justification.^{[24] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism#endnote_Friedman)} Friedman also argues that libertarian views on human nature consist more of "ideology and political crusading" than "scholarship," as when libertarians assume that people act to maximize their own utility or that their self-interested actions will always serve human needs better than government. Burden of proof is the obligation to prove allegations which are presented in a legal action. ...

Some criticize the motives of libertarians, saying that they only support libertarian ideas because they serve as a means of justifying and maintaining what these critics perceive to be their position near the top of existing social hierarchies. Social hierarchy is a phrase used to the distribution of political power, wealth, and/or social status among people within a national or cultural group. ...

See also

• See also: Republitarianism; Austrian School; Capitalism; Chicago school; Individualist anarchism; Deregulation; Republican Liberty Caucus
• Opposes: Mercantilism; Statism; Collectivism; Socialism; Fabianism; Communism; Nazism; Fascism; Welfare state; Planned economy; regulation.
• Related topics: Civil society; Open society; Political models; Ideology

Republitarianism is an American political philosophy combining elements of conservatism and libertarianism that holds that the best form of national government is one that promotes capitalism and strong national defense policies, including the use of pre-emptive military engagements, if necessary. ... The Austrian School is a school of economic thought which rejects opposing economists reliance on methods used in natural science for the study of human action, and instead bases its formalism of economics on relationships through logic or introspection called praxeology. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see definitions of capitalism). ... The Chicago school comprises the scholarly approaches in economics and sociology found and developed at the University of Chicago. ... Individualist anarchism is a philosophical tradition, appearing primarily in the United States, that emphasises the autonomy of the individual. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove selected regulations on business in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... The Republican Liberty Caucus is a political organization dedicated to electing and supporting what they call liberty-minded, limited-government individuals within the Republican Party. ... Mercantilism is the economic theory that a nations prosperity depended upon its supply of gold and silver, that the total volume of trade is unchangeable. ... Statism is a term to describe any economic system where a government implements a significant degree of centralized economic planning,which may include state ownership of the means of production, as opposed to a system where the overwhelming majority of economic planning occurs at a decentralized level by private individuals... Collectivism, in general, is a term used to describe a theoretical or practical emphasis on the group, as opposed to (and seen by many of its opponents to be at the expense of) the individual. ... For information on mainstream political parties using the term Socialist, see Social democracy and Democratic socialism,For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state, Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, and Libertarian Socialism. ... The Fabian Society is a British socialist intellectual movement best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning in the late 19th century and then up to World War I. Similar societies exist in Australia and New Zealand. ... This article is about communism as a form of society built around a gift economy, as an ideology that advocates that form of society, and as a popular movement. ... The Nazi Party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, refers to the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... Welfare state describes a nation where the government seeks to guarantee a set of social welfare benefits meant to ensure minimum quality of life standards for all citizens. ... A planned economy is an economic system in which economic decisions are made by centralized planners who determine what sorts of goods and services to produce and how they are to be priced and allocated, and may include state ownership of the means of production. ... Civil society or civil institutions refers to the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations or institutions which form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force backed structures of a state (regardless of that states political system). ... An open society is a concept originally developed by philosopher Henri Bergson. ... A political spectrum is a way of comparing or visualizing different political positions, by placing them upon one or more geometric axes. ... An ideology is a collection of ideas. ...

Notes and references

1. ^  Huben, Michael. A Non-Libertarian FAQ, March 15, 2005 version.[25] (http://world.std.com/~mhuben/faq.html#party)
2. ^  Nettlau, Max. A Short History of Anarchism, 2000. p. 75
3. ^  Friedman, Milton. The Drug War as a Socialist Enterprise. From: Friedman & Szasz on Liberty and Drugs, edited and with a Preface by Arnold S. Trebach and Kevin B. Zeese. Washington, D.C.: The Drug Policy Foundation, 1992.[26] (http://www.druglibrary.org/special/friedman/socialist.htm)
4. ^  Hayek, F.A. Why I am not a Conservative, University of Chicago Press, 1960[27] (http://hem.passagen.se/nicb/cons.htm)
5. ^  Advocates for Self Government website. "The World's Smallest Political Quiz".[28] (http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html)
6. ^  Huben, Michael, A Non-Libertarian FAQ, March 15, 2005 [29] (http://world.std.com/~mhuben/faq.html#nolan)
7. ^  Madison, James. Federalist Papers #10. Daily Advertiser, November 22, 1787 [30] (http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm)
8. ^  The Capitalism Tour. Capitalism Magazine. [31] (http://capitalism.org/tour/preamble5b.htm)
9. ^  Advocates for Self Government website. "Russell Means—Libertarian" [32] (http://www.self-gov.org/means.html)
10. ^  Partridge, Ernest. "With Liberty and Justice for Some." Environmental Philosophy edited by Michael Zimmerman, Baird Callicott, Karen Warren, Irene Klaver, and John Clark, 2004.[33] (http://gadfly.igc.org/papers/liberty.htm)
11. ^  Cleveland, Paul and Stevenson, Brian. Individual Responsibility and Economic Well-Being. The Freeman, August 1995.[34] (http://www.fee.org/vnews.php?nid=3247)
12. ^  Rockwell, Lew and Friedman, Milton. "Friedman v. Rockwell." Chronicles, December 1998. [35] (http://www.mises.org/fullstory.aspx?control=92&id=79)
13. ^  Libertarian Party News. Murray Rothbard: 1926-1995, February 1995.[36] (http://www.lp.org/lpn/9502-Rothbard.html)
14. ^  Sanchez, Julian. "The Other Guevara." Reason magazine, August 12, 2003.[37] (http://www.reason.com/interviews/guevara.shtml)
15. ^  Levy, Jacob. SELF-CRITICISM, The Volokh Conspiracy, March 19, 2003 [38] (http://volokh.com/2003_03_16_volokh_archive.html#200013465)
16. ^  Machan, Tibor R. Revisiting Anarchism and Government, [39] (http://www.liberalia.com/htm/tm_minarchists_anarchists.htm).
17. ^  Rand, Ayn. Ayn Rand’s Q&A on Libertarians from a 1971 interview [40] (http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_campus_libertarians)
18. ^  Gillespie, Nick. Rand Redux, Reason magazine, March 2005 [41] (http://www.reason.com/0503/ed.ng.editors.shtml)
19. ^  Young, Cathy. Ayn Rand at 100, Reason magazine. March 2005 [42] (http://www.reason.com/0503/fe.cy.ayn.shtml)
20. ^  Goldberg, Jonah. Freedom Kills. National Review Online, December 12, 2001.[43] (http://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg121201.shtml)
21. ^  Partridge, Ernest. "With Liberty and Justice for Some." Environmental Philosophy edited by Michael Zimmerman, Baird Callicott, Karen Warren, Irene Klaver, and John Clark, 2004.[44] (http://gadfly.igc.org/papers/liberty.htm)
22. ^  Kangas, Steve. Chile: the Laboratory Test. Liberalism Resurgent, [45] (http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-chichile.htm)
23. ^  Yglesias, Matthew. "Health is Forever". April 15, 2005. [46] (http://yglesias.typepad.com/matthew/2005/04/health_is_forev.html)
24. ^  Friedman, Jeffrey. What's Wrong With Libertarianism, Critical Review Vol. 11, No. 3. Summer 1997[47] (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/papers/friedman-whatswrong-cr-v11n3.pdf) (large PDF file)

March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Chicago is a private co-educational university located in Chicago, Illinois. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Capitalism. ... This article is about the fictional character in Tom Clancy novels. ... Reason magazine is a leading libertarian magazine from the Reason Foundation. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Volokh Conspiracy is a weblog named after UCLA School of Law professor Eugene Volokh, one of its contributors. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Ongoing events • Iraqi legislative election • Bill C-38 (Canada gay marriage) • Tsunami relief • Cedar Revolution in Lebanon • Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan • German Visa Affair 2005 • Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan • Terri Schiavo controversy • Pope John Paul II... Reason magazine is a leading libertarian magazine from the Reason Foundation. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Ongoing events • Iraqi legislative election • Bill C-38 (Canada gay marriage) • Tsunami relief • Cedar Revolution in Lebanon • Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan • German Visa Affair 2005 • Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan • Terri Schiavo controversy • Pope John Paul II... National Review (NR) is a neoconservative political magazine founded by author William F. Buckley, Jr. ... This article is about the fictional character in Tom Clancy novels. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Libertarian political parties around the world

• Site (http://www.lp.org/) of the United States Libertarian Party
• Site (http://www.personalchoice.org/) of the Personal Choice Party
• Site (http://www.libertario.org/) of Movimiento Libertario (Costa Rica)
• Site (http://www.libertarianz.org.nz) of Libertarianz (New Zealand)
• Site (http://www.act.org.nz/) of ACT New Zealand, a self-described classical liberal party in New Zealand that is also sometimes described as libertarian
• Site (http://www.ldp.org.au/) of the Liberal Democratic Party of Australia
• Site (http://www.frjalshyggja.is) of the Libertarian Society of Iceland
• Site (http://libertarian.narod.ru/rld.htm) of Rossiyskoye Libertarianskoye Dvizhenie [48] (http://www.isil.org/resources/fnn/2003summer/russian-libertarians.html) (Russian Libertarian Movement)
• Site (http://maxpages.com/lio/Bangladesh) of the Libertarian Party of Bangladesh
• Site (http://www.libertarian.ca/) of the Libertarian Party of Canada
• Site (http://www.fdp.de/) of the Free Democratic Party of Germany
• Site (http://www.fdp.ch/) of the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Libertarian Party is a United States political party created in 1971. ... Logo The Personal Choice Party (PCP) is a United States political party whose presidential candidate for 2004 has qualified for the ballot in the state of Utah. ... The Libertarian Movement Party, known widely by its Spanish name Partido Movimiento Libertario is a libertarian political party in Costa Rica. ... Current Libertarianz logo Libertarianz is a small political party in New Zealand. ... Current ACT New Zealand logo ACT New Zealand is a free market liberal party in the New Zealand Parliament. ... The Liberal Democratic Party is an Australian political party, founded in 2001, that adheres to free-market principles broadly comparable to those of the United States Libertarian Party. ... The Libertarian Society of Iceland or Frjálshyggjufélagið was founded in Reykjavík, Iceland, on August 10, 2002. ... Founded in 1975, the Libertarian Party of Canada adheres to the philosophy of libertarianism, and has been particularly influenced by the ideas of Ayn Rand. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | German political parties | Liberal parties ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Swiss political parties ...

Libertarian think tanks

• site (http://www.cato.org/) of the Cato Institute
• site (http://www.cei.org/) of the Competitive Enterprise Institute
• site (http://www.libertarian.co.uk/) of the Libertarian Alliance (British)
• site (http://www.self-gov.org/) of the Advocates for Self-Government
• site (http://www.isil.org/) of the International Society for Individual Liberty - see their Animated Introduction to the Philosophy of Liberty (http://www.isil.org/resources/introduction.swf)
• site (http://www.americanlibertyfoundation.org/) of the American Liberty Foundation
• site (http://www.fee.org/) of the Foundation for Economic Education
• site (http://www.theihs.org/) of the Institute for Humane Studies
• site (http://www.fff.org/) of the Future of Freedom Foundation
• site (http://www.mises.org/) of the Ludwig von Mises Institute (Austrian School economics)
• site (http://www.adamsmith.org/) of the Adam Smith Institute
• site (http://www.independent.org/) of The Independent Institute
• site (http://www.mannkal.org/) of the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation (Australia)

This article is about the institution. ... The Cato Institute is a non-profit public policy research foundation (think tank) with strong libertarian leanings (despite wide public perception that it is a conservative think-tank), headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is named after Catos Letters, a series of early 18th century British essays expounding the... The Competitive Enterprise Institute a non-profit public policy organization dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government. ... Libertarian Alliance, two British free market and civil liberties organisations with the same name, founded in 1982 after a split of the original Libertarian Alliance, founded in 1967. ... The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) was the first modern think tank established in the United States specifically to promote, research and promulgate free-market and libertarian ideas. ... The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is a libertarian organization that assists students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. ... The Ludwig von Mises Institute is a foundation, based in Auburn, Alabama, dedicated to research on economics and political economy. ... The Austrian School is a school of economic thought which rejects opposing economists reliance on methods used in natural science for the study of human action, and instead bases its formalism of economics on relationships through logic or introspection called praxeology. ... The Adam Smith Institute is a think tank based in the United Kingdom, named after the father of modern economics Adam Smith. ...

Other libertarian political projects

• site (http://freestateproject.org/) of the Free State Project
• European Free State Project (http://www.europeanfreestate.org/)
• The Libertarian International Organization (http://maxpages.com/lio/)
• site (http://www.libertarian.to/) of the Libertarian International
• site (http://seastead.org) of the Seastead
• Oceania (http://oceania.org/) a libertarian project terminated in 1994

The Free State Project (FSP) is a plan to have 20,000 or more (self-proclaimed) liberty-oriented people move to a single state of the United States, where it is intended they will influence local political policy. ...

Libertarian publications and websites

• European Libertarians (http://libertarians.cjb.net/)
• Open Directory libertarian links List of Notable Libertarian Theorists and Authors web page (http://dmoz.org/Society/Politics/Liberalism/Libertarianism/)
• site (http://www.mondopolitico.com/ideologies/libertarianism/whatislibertarianism.htm) of the Libertarian Learning Centre
• site (http://www.libertarian.org/) of Libertarian.org
• site (http://laissezfairebooks.com/) of Laissez Faire Books
• site (http://members.aol.com/MrSage365/Libertarian.html) of The Tao of Liberty
• site (http://www.fee.org/vnews.php?sec=iolmisc) of The Freeman
• site (http://www.libertymagazine.org/) of Liberty (magazine)
• site (http://www.theadvocates.org/publications/liberator-online.html) of Liberator Online
• site (http://www.szasz.com/) for Thomas Szasz
• site (http://lewrockwell.com/) of Lew Rockwell
• site (http://www.fff.org/freedom/index.asp) of Freedom Daily
• site (http://www.reason.com/) of Reason magazine
• Libertari.org (http://www.libertari.org/) Italian libertarian/anarcho-capitalist site
• The New Libertarian (http://neolibertarian.net/) A journal of Neolibertarian thought

TAO might be an acronym or abbreviation for: Tactics Arena Online Tao Cheng Tao Huang Tao Feng Tao Peng Tao Te King Tao Wu Tao Yang Taoism Asian philosophy TAO, The ACE ORB technical account owner Track at once - CD burning method triacetyloleandomycin Wang Tao This is a disambiguation page... The Freeman is a monthly journal; it is the principal publication of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), located in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York. ... Liberty magazine is a leading libertarian magazine founded in 1987 and published in Port Townsend, Washington and edited by R. W. (Bill) Bradford. ... The Liberator Online mailing list is a moderated digest published once every other week. ... Dr. Thomas Stephen Szasz (born April 15, 1920 in Hungary) is Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York. ... Llewellyn Rockwell, more commonly known as Lew Rockwell, is a paleolibertarian political commentator and economist in the United States. ... Reason magazine is a leading libertarian magazine from the Reason Foundation. ... A subset of libertarian thought that embraces incrementalism and pragmatism domestically and a strong, interventionist foreign policy. ...

Sites about libertarianism

• site (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/libertarianism/) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on libertarianism
• Libertarian FAQ (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/libertarian/faq/)