Individuals in society should be free to pursue activities that maximize their happiness, wealth and well-being as long as those actions do not preclude others from pursuing the same goals.
Individuals are responsible for the outcomes of their actions. They must accept that it is their duty to care for themselves and their families first, and to not blame others or society for bad outcomes of their decisions.
Libertarianism is not anarchy or a free-for-all. Rather, libertarianism proposes “a society of liberty under law, in which individuals are free to pursue their own lives so long as they respect the equal rights of others. [Boaz]” The rules that do exist should seek to protect the “freedom of individuals to pursue happiness in their own ways, not aim at any particular result or outcome.”
Governments should be tasked primarily to protect and promote the rights of the individual. This role should be limited and may include: adjudicating crime (e.g. murder, rape, theft, etc.); providing security (e.g. national defense, police, fire and other first responders), promoting infrastructure beyond the reasonable reach of individuals (e.g. road construction, water projects.) Things for which an individual can reasonably be responsible, should remain the responsibility of the individual.
In order for individuals to flourish, they must engage in mutually acceptable economic activity. Individuals have an inherent right to own and trade property and to exchange goods and services in a free market. The freedom and wealth of individuals will be maximized if the level of government intercession is minimized.
Libertarians believe strongly that the use of force to impose control, to force one world-view on others, or to manipulate the “natural harmony of interests” (i.e. social engineering) is inherently wrong. Using force in the form of war should be a last resort and only in the name of self-preservation.
The LP espouses a classical laissez faire ideology which, they argue, means “more freedom, less government and lower taxes.”
Libertarians seek a middle ground between the left’s liberal values and the right’s conservative ones, believing in…
Maximum individual liberty:
and
Maximum economic freedom:
“A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society.”
Take this quick quiz from TheAdvocates.org to find out what political philosophy best aligns with your beliefs.
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