Libertarianism facts for kids
Libertarianism is a set of ideas about how people should live and how governments should work. The word 'libertarianism' comes from 'liberty,' which means freedom. Simply put, libertarians believe people should be free to do what they want, as long as they don't harm others. Because of this, they want to limit the government's power so people can have as much freedom as possible.
Libertarianism started in the 1800s, growing from ideas of liberalism (a belief in individual rights and freedoms). Many of its ideas are similar to classical liberalism, an older form of liberalism. It also has connections to anarchism (the idea that governments are not needed) and a way of thinking about money called the Austrian School of economics.
Libertarians are strongly against things like slavery, theft, murder, and any other actions that start violence against someone.
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What Are Individual Rights?
Libertarians believe that no person can fairly own or control another person's body. They call this 'self-ownership' or 'individual sovereignty.' In simple words, every person has a right to control their own body.
In the 1800s, United States libertarians like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Lysander Spooner were all abolitionists. Abolitionists were people who wanted to end slavery right away.
Garrison believed slavery was wrong because of the idea of self-ownership. Since you have a natural right to control your own body, no one else has any right to take that control from you. Both Garrison and Douglass called slave masters 'man stealers.'
Stopping Violence
If you have a right to control your own body, then no one has a right to start violence (or force) against you.
Some libertarians believe that all violence is wrong. These libertarians are often called "anarcho-pacifists." Robert LeFevre was a libertarian who did not believe in any violence. However, most libertarians believe that violence can be right in some cases.
One thing that makes violence right is self-defense. If someone is violent towards you, you have a right to defend yourself with equal force.
All libertarians believe it is wrong to start violence against any person or against what they own. They call this the "non-aggression principle."
What is Property?
Ownership is the right to control something. Property is the thing that you control.
Libertarians believe that property rights come from self-ownership. This means that because you have a right to control your own body, you also have a right to control what you make with it.
The English philosopher John Locke said that a person comes to own something by using it. So, if you turn an area that no one else owns into a farm and use it, that area becomes your property. This is called the "homestead principle."
Libertarians also say that you can become a rightful owner by receiving something as a gift or by trading it with someone for something they own. You do not become a rightful owner by stealing. You also do not become a rightful owner by just saying you own something. If you have not "homesteaded" the thing or received it through trade or gift, you do not own it.
How Libertarians View Government
Libertarians are against governments creating any "laws" that tell people what they can and cannot do with their own bodies. The only rightful laws are those that say a person may not start violence against other people or their rightful property. All "laws" stopping people from doing nonviolent things should be removed, according to libertarians. (These "laws" are often called "victimless crimes" because there is no victim if no one is harmed.)
In most countries, the state (or government) takes tax money from the people. All libertarians support cutting taxes, and some libertarians believe the government should not take tax money at all. Libertarians think people can help those in need without the government. They believe that people should pay for the things they want to use, but not have to pay for other things they do not want. Tax evasion (refusal to pay taxes to the government) is seen as a victimless crime by libertarians. Libertarians would prefer to see taxes replaced with things like lotteries, user fees (paying for specific services), and endowments (donations).
Libertarians think everyone should be allowed to decide what is good or bad for their own body. Libertarians think if people want to drive cars without wearing seat belts, it is their own choice. They should not be forced to stop doing that, not even by the government. If a person wants to donate all of their money to a charity, or waste it all gambling, that is also something they should decide for themselves. No one should be forced to stop doing that, not even by the government.
Types of Libertarians
There are two main types of libertarians.
Minarchism
Minarchists are libertarians who believe that society should have a government with very limited power. They believe that free markets are the best and most fair way to provide goods and services. They typically believe that the only things the government should provide are police and judges to make sure that people obey the laws, and a military to make sure that no one attacks the country. Some minarchists believe in having a small amount of taxes and limited public services like international diplomacy and public parks.
Two famous minarchist libertarians are Robert Nozick and Ayn Rand. Nozick believed that the only rightful thing a government can do is have a police force. He called his rightful government a "night-watchman state." Ayn Rand believed that the government should have a police force and a court system.
Anarchism
Libertarian anarchists usually call themselves anarcho-capitalists, free-market anarchists, individualist anarchists, or just anarchists.
Libertarian anarchists do not believe the government is needed. They believe that people can organize their own lives and businesses. They want to replace the government with voluntary organizations, including charities, private companies, voluntary unions, and mutual aid societies. They also want to end all forced taxes.
They say that government police can be replaced with "DROs" (Dispute Resolution Organizations) or "private protection agencies." They also say that government judges can be replaced with "private arbitration" (where people agree to have a neutral person settle their disagreements).
A famous libertarian anarchist thinker was Murray N. Rothbard. Others include Lysander Spooner, Benjamin R. Tucker, and Linda & Morris Tannehill.
Other Types of Libertarians
Most libertarians fit into the two types listed above. But there are other types too:
- Libertarian constitutionalists believe that the only rightful things a government can do are those things that have been approved in a constitution (a set of basic laws). Ron Paul is an example of a libertarian constitutionalist.
- Agorists are revolutionary libertarian anarchists. They believe we should fight the government through what they call "counter-economics" (doing business outside of government control). Agorists include Samuel Edward Konkin, III and Brad Spangler.
- Objectivists are libertarians who believe in atheism (not believing in God). They believe that humans can know things for sure, unlike skepticism (the idea that people cannot know things with certainty). They believe reason is the only way to find truth, and that a system of free capitalism is the only fair way for a government to work. Ayn Rand was an Objectivist.
- Left-libertarians are libertarian anarchists who believe that a free market system will not lead to more equality. They are often open to ideas like "worker self-management" (where workers control their workplaces) and feminism. These beliefs often work well with anarcho-communism and anarcho-syndicalism. Left-libertarians include Benjamin R. Tucker and Roderick T. Long.
- Anarcho-pacifists are libertarians who believe that no force is ever right, not even in self-defense. Although Robert LeFevre did not call himself an "anarcho-pacifist," he was one.
- Autarchism is a type of libertarian anarchism that supports individual freedom, self-reliance, and individualism. Simply put, autarchists believe in the idea: "Control yourself." Robert LeFevre described himself as an autarchist.
- Geolibertarians believe that the only rightful tax is a tax on land. This is often called the "single tax" or "land value tax."
- Voluntaryism is another term for libertarian anarchism. Voluntaryists believe that only voluntary actions are rightful. This means that all government force is wrong. The first libertarian to call himself a voluntaryist was Auberon Herbert.
- Civil libertarians are people who believe in protecting civil liberties, such as free speech. But not all civil libertarians believe you should be allowed to do what you want with the money you earn. All libertarians are civil libertarians, but not all civil libertarians are libertarians.
Images for kids
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17 August 1860 edition of Le Libertaire, Journal du mouvement social, a libertarian communist publication in New York City
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John Locke, seen as a founder of liberalism
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Thomas Paine, whose ideas about property showed a libertarian concern with how resources are shared
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Sébastien Faure, a leading French thinker of libertarian communism, and an atheist
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Murray Bookchin, an American libertarian socialist thinker
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Former Congressman Ron Paul, who calls himself a libertarian. His campaigns in 2008 and 2012 gained a lot of support from young people
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Members of the Spanish anarcho-syndicalist trade union Confederación Nacional del Trabajo marching in Madrid in 2010
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Tea Party movement protest in Washington, D.C., September 2009
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See also
In Spanish: Libertarismo para niños
