Exploring Libertarianism, some famous Libertarians, Principles, Ideologies, and Key Differences
Exploring Libertarianism, some famous Libertarians, Principles, Ideologies, and Key Differences
Libertarianism is a political point of view, which suggests that people other than the state are free to live their own lives and make their own decisions as little as possible. There are many ideologies that arise and develop under this terminology and there are also many different branches of libertarianism but at the fundamental level, this philosophy entails freedom and a small government.
What is a Libertarian in Simple Terms?
A libertarian is a person who supports the idea of liberty and supports as much liberalization as can be achieved to reduce the places where the government intervenes in people’s lives. This political party normally believes in limited government intervention in people’s lives and businesses and tends to support free markets and individual rights and force. They consider that everyone must be free to pursue their own course of action as they choose, provided they do not impose on the rights of others.
What Kind of Person is a Libertarian?
A libertarian is a person who supports the idea of liberty and supports as much liberalization as can be achieved to reduce the places where the government intervenes in people’s lives. This political party normally believes in limited government intervention in people’s lives and businesses and tends to support free markets and individual rights and force. They consider that everyone must be free to pursue their own course of action as they choose, provided they do not impose on the rights of others.
Famous Libertarians
There are certain philosophers and economists, who played major roles in literature and have pointed towards libertarianism. Some famous libertarians include:
- Ron Paul: A one-term U. S. Congressman, libertarian presidential candidate who advocated the lower the government involvement in the economy and individual life, the better.
- Ayn Rand: An American analytical philosopher; a writer of science fiction and non-fiction, an Objectivist, and a libertarian..
- Milton Friedman: A free-market economic liberal and Nobel Prize winner who is famous for having supported the free-market economy, the small government and individual freedom of choice.
- Frederic Bastiat: a French economist, writer, and philosopher famous for his liberalism and advocacy of free markets, free trade, and noninterventionism.
- A. Hayek: An Austrian economist and Nobel prize winner Friedrich August von Hayek who defended liberalism and free-market economy.
They must be commemorated as they give their significant contribution in the development of the libertarian and still stand as key influencers of the libertarian movement.
Difference between a Libertarian and a Democrat
The greatest difference between a libertarian and a Democrat is with how they understand and approach politics and particularly the government. Republicans are often characterized as emphasizing less government entitlements and greater individual responsibility, while Democrats tend to focus on more government interference and policies to help reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. They should love issues like massive taxation of the affluent, medical insurance for all, and restrictive environmental legislation.
On the other hand, ‘‘Libertarian” school of thought supports limited government interference with most problems solved at individual/freedom-based or market-based approaches. They are usually against any intervention of government on the economy; Support policies that result in low taxes, less regulation, and most importantly private entity takeover of service provision.
Difference between Authoritarian and Libertarian
It is also important to mention that authoritarianism and libertarianism impose different sets of norms on people and express different attitudes towards the citizens’ freedom and the government’s authority. Authoritarians are directed towards a higher concentration of power in government structures, this is often done at the cost of human rights and freedoms. Some may favor concepts like limiting freedom of information, spying, and restraint of one’s actions and ideas.
On the other hand, libertarians are the extreme that supports freedom and non-interference into this or that issue by the government. It suggests that government’s role is to uphold individual rights including property rights and freedom of speech while asserting that it should intervene in the affairs of citizens or corporations only where it is necessary.
Libertarianism and Socialism
Libertarianism and socialism are political orientations that feature large distinctions in their approaches related to the government as well as the society as a whole. Libertarianism is an ideological orientation, which means that freeman and government intrusion in people’s lives are amongst the major priorities of the movement, which concentrates on free market and synergy. Socialism on its part, allows workers and the government to own industries of production so that the society can close unfair loopholes and work for universally equal benefits.
However, there is clearly a general distinction: libertarianism is the philosophy closer related to the programme of individual liberty and self-ownership, whereas socialism is, overall, closer to the agenda of equality and justice. These opposing values lead to the sized differences in perception towards and view on elements of governance, for instance, the tax system, health, education, the economy, etc. Albeit, this type of roles is seen as being invasive and oppressive of individual rights by libertarians while socialists argued that there is a positive responsibility that is associated with such roles since it is their duty to equalize opportunities.
Conclusion
Concisely, libertariansim can be explained as a political philosophy that prioritises economic liberty, effective local control, and state intervention. Though it has got different principles of belief or view point it can be said that libertarians may come out with the similar objective of having more of freedom and less of government.
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