What Libertarianism Is

Conza88

Conza88

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One of the best articles I've ever read. Highly recommended to help clarify what sets libertarianism apart.

What Libertarianism Is
by Stephan Kinsella
Property, Rights, and Liberty

Libertarians tend to agree on a wide array of policies and principles. Nonetheless, it is not easy to find consensus on what libertarianism's defining characteristic is, or on what distinguishes it from other political theories and systems. Various formulations abound. It is said that libertarianism is about individual rights, property rights,[1] the free market, capitalism, justice, or the nonaggression principle. Not just any of these will do, however. Capitalism and the free market describe the catallactic conditions that arise or are permitted in a libertarian society, but do not encompass other aspects of libertarianism. And individual rights, justice, and aggression collapse into property rights. As Murray Rothbard explained, individual rights are property rights.[2] And justice is just giving someone his due, which depends on what his rights are.[3]
http://mises.org/daily/3660#note3
http://mises.org/daily/3660#note3
..... cont.
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Looks like casey rented a uhaul for conza today. I listened to this speech. It's pretty decent. I wish he would have talked about owning ideas though. That's where the big argument comes. Can you or can't you?
 
NO. Ideas cannot be owned. The specifics of a FINISHED PRODUCT can be owned. Ideas cannot be.

bwlibertyman said:
Looks like casey rented a uhaul for conza today. I listened to this speech. It's pretty decent. I wish he would have talked about owning ideas though. That's where the big argument comes. Can you or can't you?
Click to expand...
 
Kinsella is really good

Another point: in my view, we are about as likely to achieve minarchy as we are to achieve anarchy. I.e., both are remote possibilities. What is striking is that almost every criticism of "impracticality" that minarchist hurl at anarchy is also true of minarchy itself. Both are exceedingly unlikely. Both require massive changes in views among millions of people. Both rest on presumptions that most people simply don't care much about.- Stephan Kinsella

What It Means To Be an Anarcho-Capitalist
 
My definition:

Libertarianism is an uncompromising belief in economic freedom, political liberty, and individual rights.
 
Lisle16 said:
My definition:

Libertarianism is an uncompromising belief in economic freedom, political liberty, and individual rights.
Click to expand...

Economic freedom & political liberty are only possible if individual rights are respected. :)
 
Conza88 said:
Yes it does. See argumentation ethics thread... and see your continued inability to actually engage in the OP and address the points.

Keep on avoiding; keep on dodging.
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't. Self-ownership could be the a priori assumption in all of our reasoning and action, but it still does not imply that it is right.
 
Libertarianism is the belief that the initiation of force is immoral. Full Stop. That's it. Everything else follows from that, including liberty, etc.

It is important to keep a very clear definition of what libertarianism is so that we have a common basis for discussion. The definition I just gave is not my definition, it is not a made up one, it is the one given by the founders of the modern libertarian movement who cooped that word to mean what was previously known as "liberal" or "classical liberal" or "reason".

A pledge in this belief-- that the initiation of force against the innocent is immoral-- was required of all members of the Libertarian Party for many years.

It is the definition of libertarianism . IF you reject it, that's fine, just don't call yourself a libertarian.
 
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