Libertarianism: Difference between revisions

 

The revival of free-market ideologies during the mid- to late 20th century came with disagreement over what to call the movement. While many of its adherents prefer the term ''libertarian'', many [[conservative libertarian]]s reject the term's association with the 1960s New Left and its connotations of [[libertine]] hedonism.<ref name="Gamble 2013 p. 405">{{cite journal|last=Gamble|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Gamble|editor-last1=Freeden|editor-first1=Michael|editor-last2=Stears|editor-first2=Marc|title=Economic Libertarianism|journal=The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies|date=August 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=405|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199585977.013.0008}}</ref> The movement is divided over the use of ''conservatism'' as an alternative.<ref name="Gamble 2013 p. 406">{{cite journal|last=Gamble|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Gamble|editor-last1=Freeden|editor-first1=Michael|editor-last2=Stears|editor-first2=Marc|title=Economic Libertarianism|journal=The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies|date=August 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=406|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199585977.013.0008}}</ref> Those who seek both economic and social liberty would be known as ''liberals'', but that term developed associations opposite of the [[limited government]], low-taxation, minimal state advocated by the movement.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gamble|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew Gamble|editor-last1=Freeden|editor-first1=Michael|editor-last2=Stears|editor-first2=Marc|title=Economic Libertarianism|journal=The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies|date=August 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=405–406|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199585977.013.0008}}</ref> Name variants of the free-market revival movement include ''[[classical liberalism]]'', ''[[economic liberalism]]'', ''[[free-market liberalism]]'' and ''[[neoliberalism]]''.<ref name="Gamble 2013 p. 405"/> As a term, ''libertarian'' or ''economic libertarian'' has the most colloquial acceptance to describe a member of the movement, with the latter term being based on both the ideology's primacy of economics and its distinction from libertarians of the New Left.<ref name="Gamble 2013 p. 406"/>

While both historical libertarianism and contemporary economic libertarianism share general antipathy towards power by government authority, the latter exempts power wielded through [[free-market capitalism]]. Historically, libertarians including [[Herbert Spencer]] and [[Max Stirner]] supported the protection of an individual's freedom from powers of government and private ownership.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Francis|first1=Mark|title=Human Rights and Libertarians|journal=[[Australian Journal of Politics & History]]|volume=29|issue=3|page=462|date=December 1983|doi=10.1111/j.1467-8497.1983.tb00212.x|issn=0004-9522}}</ref> In contrast, while condemning governmental encroachment on personal liberties, modern American libertarians support freedoms on the basis of their agreement with private property rights.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Francis|first1=Mark|title=Human Rights and Libertarians|journal=[[Australian Journal of Politics & History]]|volume=29|issue=3|pages=462–463|date=December 1983|doi=10.1111/j.1467-8497.1983.tb00212.x|issn=0004-9522}}</ref> The abolishment of public amenities is a common theme in modern American libertarian writings.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Francis|first1=Mark|title=Human Rights and Libertarians|journal=[[Australian Journal of Politics & History]]|volume=29|issue=3|page=463|date=December 1983|doi=10.1111/j.1467-8497.1983.tb00212.x|issn=0004-9522}}</ref>