Key Concepts of LibertarianismKey Concepts of Libertarianism
The key concepts of libertarianism have developed over many centuries.
The key concepts of libertarianism have developed over many centuries. The first inklings of them can be found in ancient China, Greece, and Israel; they began to be developed into something resembling modern libertarian philosophy in the work of such seventeenth‐ and eighteenth‐century thinkers as John Locke, David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine.However, three additional points need to be made: first, libertarianism is not just these broad liberal principles. Libertarianism applies these principles fully and consistently, far more so than most modern thinkers and certainly more so than any modern government. Second, while our society remains generally based on equal rights and capitalism, every day new exceptions to those principles are carved out in Washington and in Albany, Sacramento, and Austin (not to mention London, Bonn, Tokyo, and elsewhere). Each new government directive takes a little bit of our freedom, and we should think carefully before giving up any liberty. Third, liberal society is resilient; it can withstand many burdens and continue to flourish; but it is not infinitely resilient. Those who claim to believe in liberal principles but advocate more and more confiscation of the wealth created by productive people, more and more restrictions on voluntary interaction, more and more exceptions to property rights and the rule of law, more and more transfer of power from society to state, are unwittingly engaged in the ultimately deadly undermining of civilization.
- Individualism [...]
- Individual Rights [...]
- Spontaneous Order [...]
- The Rule of Law [...]
- Limited Government [...]
- Free Markets [...]
- The Virtue of Production [...]
- Individualism [...]
- Natural Harmony of Interests [...]
- Peace [...]
https://www.cato.org/commentary/key-concepts-libertarianism