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Do you mean the Libertarian Party? I am not a member because I don’t want to be a member of any political party out of principle. As an independent I have voted

Do you mean the Libertarian Party? I am not a member because I don’t want to be a member of any political party out of principle. As an independent I have voted for candidates of different parties depending on the situation. It’s impossible that 2 parties (or 3) capture all of someone’s views.

munk-a 7y ago
In part yes - in America there is a Libertarian philosophy that doesn't match what the rest of the world calls libertarianism, big-l Libertarianism seems much more heavily focused on fiscal freedom at the expense of freedom of opportunity, while little-l libertarianism tends to value freedom of opportunity and freedom of expression above the purely fiscal freedoms. Sadly, both groups tend to cling to the term l/Libertarianism which can confuse things. I mostly mention this because different people will read your self-described libertarianism differently with some people reading it as Libertarianism.
- seibelj 7y ago
  It's an aphorism that if you put 1000 libertarians in a room you will have 1000 definitions of what a "real" libertarian is. For me, the essence of libertarianism is about valuing the individual over the collective. This includes protecting individuals from the state by restricting state power, strong protection of private property, economic freedom, and allowing people the freedom to make their own decisions even if they are dumb decisions. It's a very natural and free way of living. So many people want the state to coerce others into doing what they want - essentially running other people's lives. That is a great evil and how casually people resort to this makes me ill. I just want everyone to have maximum freedom possible.
  - hannasanarion 7y ago
    You know, there's a special name for a stateless society where people are allowed to own any amount of any thing and enter into any agreement. It's called "feudalism"
    - seibelj 7y ago
      Common trope against libertarians, a super lazy no-thought argument. Feudalism is owning people which is clearly unethical. I'm not against government, I'm pro-freedom with a government that does the minimum possible to ensure a non-coercive society. Liberals take the absolute craziest position and say, "Durr that's what libertarians believe!" Completely ridiculous.
      - root_axis 7y ago
        I think it's a decent argument, maybe it doesn't apply to your specific flavor of libertarianism since you believe the state should "ensure a non-coercive society" but the devil is in the details with regard to what one considers coercive.
        seibelj 7y ago
        Do you truly believe that libertarians, of which there are millions in the US, want to return to a feudal society? This is what you actually think? It’s completely absurd
        root_axis 7y ago
        > Do you truly believe that libertarians, of which there are millions in the US, want to return to a feudal society No, not a literal feudal structure as it was implemented in medieval europe, but a system with some similar qualities. In particular, a system where the landed elite control private paramilitary forces and the common folk have no choice but to pay homage to their capital lords or find themselves without the protection of a state.
        hannasanarion 7y ago
        It's not about what you want, it's about the inevitable consequences. Capitalist libertarianism is oxymoronic. People cannot have freedom when they need to work to survive so that others can live lavishly and accumulate infinitely without working.

munk-a 7y ago

In part yes - in America there is a Libertarian philosophy that doesn't match what the rest of the world calls libertarianism, big-l Libertarianism seems much more heavily focused on fiscal freedom at the expense of freedom of opportunity, while little-l libertarianism tends to value freedom of opportunity and freedom of expression above the purely fiscal freedoms. Sadly, both groups tend to cling to the term l/Libertarianism which can confuse things. I mostly mention this because different people will read your self-described libertarianism differently with some people reading it as Libertarianism.

seibelj 7y ago
It's an aphorism that if you put 1000 libertarians in a room you will have 1000 definitions of what a "real" libertarian is. For me, the essence of libertarianism is about valuing the individual over the collective. This includes protecting individuals from the state by restricting state power, strong protection of private property, economic freedom, and allowing people the freedom to make their own decisions even if they are dumb decisions. It's a very natural and free way of living. So many people want the state to coerce others into doing what they want - essentially running other people's lives. That is a great evil and how casually people resort to this makes me ill. I just want everyone to have maximum freedom possible.
- hannasanarion 7y ago
  You know, there's a special name for a stateless society where people are allowed to own any amount of any thing and enter into any agreement. It's called "feudalism"
  - seibelj 7y ago
    Common trope against libertarians, a super lazy no-thought argument. Feudalism is owning people which is clearly unethical. I'm not against government, I'm pro-freedom with a government that does the minimum possible to ensure a non-coercive society. Liberals take the absolute craziest position and say, "Durr that's what libertarians believe!" Completely ridiculous.
    - root_axis 7y ago
      I think it's a decent argument, maybe it doesn't apply to your specific flavor of libertarianism since you believe the state should "ensure a non-coercive society" but the devil is in the details with regard to what one considers coercive.
      - seibelj 7y ago
        Do you truly believe that libertarians, of which there are millions in the US, want to return to a feudal society? This is what you actually think? It’s completely absurd
        root_axis 7y ago
        > Do you truly believe that libertarians, of which there are millions in the US, want to return to a feudal society No, not a literal feudal structure as it was implemented in medieval europe, but a system with some similar qualities. In particular, a system where the landed elite control private paramilitary forces and the common folk have no choice but to pay homage to their capital lords or find themselves without the protection of a state.
        hannasanarion 7y ago
        It's not about what you want, it's about the inevitable consequences. Capitalist libertarianism is oxymoronic. People cannot have freedom when they need to work to survive so that others can live lavishly and accumulate infinitely without working.