Difference between revisions of "Libertarianism"
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'''Libertarianism''' is a political philosophy that | '''Libertarianism''' is a political philosophy that advocates a minimal state in which the government is to be strictly limited in it's functions and capacity. Libertarianism places great emphasis is on individual rights and freedom. It is a political philosophy that SD.net has recently been focusing on more. | ||
== Common Libertarian Beliefs == | == Common Libertarian Beliefs == | ||
* Reduction of state run programs down to as few as possible | * Reduction of state-run programs down to as few as possible. Libertarians generally favor police forces and a minimal standing army; some support public schools in some for or another. | ||
* De-federalization | * De-federalization | ||
* | * Capitalism, usually with plans to remove regulatory laws on corporations such as anti-trust laws and minimum wages | ||
* Abolition of welfare programs | * Abolition of welfare programs | ||
* | * Militant opposition to gun-control | ||
* Non-confrontational foreign policy | * Non-confrontational foreign policy | ||
* Strong | * Strong belief in separation of church and state | ||
* Elimination of victim-less crimes from the law books (prostitution, drugs, seatbelts etc.) | * Elimination of victim-less crimes from the law books (prostitution, drugs, seatbelts, etc.) | ||
* | * Minimal taxation, if any (extreme Libertarians see taxation as theft) | ||
A closely related concept | A closely related concept is [[anarcho-capitalism]] (most notably expounded by one L. Neil Smith), which advocates complete abolition of government, replacing it with corporations. Anarcho-capitalists are -- for all intents and purposes -- religiously devoted to the concept of “the Invisible Hand of the market”. Even among Libertarians, these guys are seen as lunatics, as their knee-jerk response to any criticism often starts with "Hey, I am a Libertarian, but not one of those anarcho-capitalist morons". | ||
== Criticism == | == Criticism == | ||
Even with a few self-described “Small L libertarians” in the board’s established population, Libertarianism is for the most part highly criticized by SD.net's population for its lack of regulation; how its wealth redistribution would lead to the emergence of a few corporate monopolies; the fact that it removes environmental codes which would lead to massive ecological damage; the effects of legalization of hard drugs on society; the fact that sometimes it makes sense to drag someone away from | Even with a few self-described “Small L libertarians” in the board’s established population, Libertarianism is for the most part highly criticized by SD.net's population for its lack of regulation; how its wealth redistribution would lead to the emergence of a few corporate monopolies; the fact that it removes environmental codes which would lead to massive ecological damage; the effects of legalization of hard drugs on society; the fact that sometimes it makes sense to drag someone away from being stupid; and effectively making the government small, dumb, and weak, especially making it vulnerable during wartime. | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
* [http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html Critiques of Libertarianism] is a site with well thought-out criticism of Libertarianism and common libertarian arguments. | * [http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html Critiques of Libertarianism] is a site with well thought-out criticism of Libertarianism and common libertarian arguments. | ||
[[Category: SDN Culture]] | [[Category: SDN Culture]] | ||
Revision as of 20:56, 5 August 2008
Libertarianism is a political philosophy that advocates a minimal state in which the government is to be strictly limited in it's functions and capacity. Libertarianism places great emphasis is on individual rights and freedom. It is a political philosophy that SD.net has recently been focusing on more.
Common Libertarian Beliefs
- Reduction of state-run programs down to as few as possible. Libertarians generally favor police forces and a minimal standing army; some support public schools in some for or another.
- De-federalization
- Capitalism, usually with plans to remove regulatory laws on corporations such as anti-trust laws and minimum wages
- Abolition of welfare programs
- Militant opposition to gun-control
- Non-confrontational foreign policy
- Strong belief in separation of church and state
- Elimination of victim-less crimes from the law books (prostitution, drugs, seatbelts, etc.)
- Minimal taxation, if any (extreme Libertarians see taxation as theft)
A closely related concept is anarcho-capitalism (most notably expounded by one L. Neil Smith), which advocates complete abolition of government, replacing it with corporations. Anarcho-capitalists are -- for all intents and purposes -- religiously devoted to the concept of “the Invisible Hand of the market”. Even among Libertarians, these guys are seen as lunatics, as their knee-jerk response to any criticism often starts with "Hey, I am a Libertarian, but not one of those anarcho-capitalist morons".
Criticism
Even with a few self-described “Small L libertarians” in the board’s established population, Libertarianism is for the most part highly criticized by SD.net's population for its lack of regulation; how its wealth redistribution would lead to the emergence of a few corporate monopolies; the fact that it removes environmental codes which would lead to massive ecological damage; the effects of legalization of hard drugs on society; the fact that sometimes it makes sense to drag someone away from being stupid; and effectively making the government small, dumb, and weak, especially making it vulnerable during wartime.
External Links
- Critiques of Libertarianism is a site with well thought-out criticism of Libertarianism and common libertarian arguments.