Libertarianism Should Not Be Confused with Liberalism

There is big-L Liberalism, which is the modern progressive Liberalism that has latched on to the Left-wing Democratic alignment, promoting the views of that social segment through government legislation, forcing it upon others. Then there is classic liberalism (small-L) which is an individual belief in individual liberties and freedoms, which is more aligned to modern Libertarianism. Today, those who value individual liberties don't seem to support either half of the big one-party, two-half party system which runs the government today, for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. This is a failed paradigm, but is a beast which will take more effort to slay. The state is not necessary to promote the health of a society, but encourages social and economic gaps and disparity.

Libertarianism is a political philosophy that focuses on the rights of individuals. It is the core belief in libertarianism that individuals have the right to do whatever they want with their person or possessions, as long as they do not infringe upon the same rights of others. Because of this belief, libertarians feel that groups, simply made up of individuals, have no more power than an individual. Therefore, most libertarians would say that there should be as little government as is practically possible. The main goal of libertarianism is to help individuals assume control of their lives.

Many people feel that the first libertarians were the founding fathers of the United States of America, namely Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans, although influences can be traced all the way back to the Epicureans, who believed that the basis of society was a social contract in which all individuals acted not according to justice, but rather in order to advance the happiness of society. John Stuart Mill and Adam Smith are considered to be extremely influential in the development of libertarianism. The most notable modern libertarians include Ayn Rand, whose philosophy of objectivism contains core libertarian beliefs, and Robert Nozick, who in his book Anarchy, State, and Utopia claims that libertarianism is the “framework for utopia” and that it is “inspiring as well as right.”

Libertarianism should not be confused with liberalism. They were considered the same in the early to mid nineteenth-century, both sharing the same beliefs such as limiting state power and the benefits of a free market. But around the 1870s liberals were gradually moving toward the belief that the government was necessary in guaranteeing social justice. Liberalism developed into a philosophy which wants an increase in government power, taxes, and regulation. Libertarians feel this philosophy is very close to socialism and therefore do not agree with it. Libertarians believe that collecting taxes is another form of robbery.

Libertarianism Should Not Be Confused with Liberalism