Libertarianism
What is a Libertarian?
- A Libertarian is neither a republican nor a democrat, the Libertarian party is a third party or ‘independent’. Libertarian political philosophy grabs the best of both worlds and supports fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. In a nutshell, Libertarians want less taxes, smaller government, more personal freedoms, and less war.
What guides a Libertarian’s political beliefs?
- There are two fundamental axioms which Libertarianism is rooted in.
- The Non-Aggression Principle (NAP)
- What does the Non-Aggression principle entail?
Well, you are not allowed to commit an act of aggression against another person. If person A stole your jacket yesterday, you would be justified in forcibly taking it back from them. However, if you are just trying to steal the jack from person A, then you have broken the Non-Aggression principle and this is not allowed.
- Private Property
- What does Private Property entail?
Libertarians believe everything should be private property. Just how does everything become owned by someone else? The simple rules of:
Self-Ownership
First-Use-First-Own (Homesteading)
Together with these two axioms, all voluntary economic transactions are legal and all persons right to property is protected from physical takeover, eminent domain, taxing, etc.
For a full-length explanation, I highly recommend “What Libertarianism is” by Stephan Kinsella.
