The Libertarian Party is very different from the Republican/Democratic parties. In the Libertarian Party, the varieties are endless of the different opinions that our party holds.
Whereas in the other 2 parties, it's clear that they have adopted a tribal mentality where to be considered a Republican, you need to agree with all of the views in the party. Same goes for the Democrats.
Libertarians are different. Here are the 5 types of Libertarians. Enjoy!
1. The Classical Liberal
A Classical Liberal would be the Adam Smith and Thomas Jefferson's of the party.
Don't get confused with modern liberals and Classical Liberals, though. Today's modern liberals would best be described as "progressive collectivists", the exact opposite of Classical Liberals.
Classical Liberals strongly believe that liberty is the primary political value. While the progressive collectivists strongly believe that equality is the primary political value.
Classical Liberals value the rights of the individual more than they value those of the collective. A great video I found explaining Individualism vs Collectivism would be Sargon of Akkad's, "Liberal Ideas #3 - Individualism vs Collectivism"
To learn more about classical liberalism and to see if you might be one, watch the video below by the Learn Liberty YouTube channel.
2. The Anarchist
You may be an Anarchist if you believe that any form of government just isn't necessary.
Anarchists would the Adam Kokesh and Jeff Berwick's of the party.
These people represent the extreme part of Libertarians and are also known as Anarcho-Capitalists (AnCap).
They strongly emphasize how the very nature of government is immoral and not natural.
To learn more about Anarchism, here's a video by BadMouseProductions:
3. The Conservatarian
The Conservatarian is a mix between a Conservative and a Libertarian. These would be the Ron Paul and Austin Peterson's of the party.
Conservatarians believe in very limited government. These are usually those who are in the middle of transitioning from being a Republican to the freedom party.
They are hardcore Constitutionalists and are typically ex-neocons that came to their senses and decided that government restrictions on drugs, marriage, and prostitution are wrong and that government is a giant bag of douche.
4. The Minarchist
Minarchists are just one step away from total Anarchism. These would be the Judge Napolitano and Friedrich Hayek's of the party.
They believe that government should be strictly scaled down to its basic functions. And act as a "night watchman state" where it's the only function should be to protect the people.
Most Minarchists believe that government should only provide services such as law enforcement, a court system, and a military.
5. The Liberaltarian
A Liberaltarian would be somebody like Gary Johnson who combine socially leftist and moderate views with those of the Libertarian Party.
Liberaltarians usually support some government intervention in an attempt to provide more freedom in certain areas, and usually, put equality as a fundamental principle in their ideology.
Their views range from supporting anti-discrimination laws to using government on their behalf to ensure that the wage-gap between men and women is taken care of.
Conclusion
I know, I know, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of Libertarian ideologies and viewpoints out there, but most of them could probably fit into just these five categories.
So my question to you is, what type of Libertarian are you? Let everyone know in the comments.
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Have to largely disagree with a lot here.
Ron Paul isn't a libertarian. He's a paleoconservative, nearly a Nazi.
And the LP is totally tribal. They hate Jews and think 9/11 was an inside job.
Finally, anarchists aren't libertarians. At all.
Ron Paul is not a Nazi whatsoever.
I would definitely consider myself a student of Adam Kokesh’s philosophy and, to rebuttal the other person’s statement of “anarchists aren’t libertarian” that makes no sense. Libertarians reject the use of force and Anarchists reject the idea of a state being absolutely necessary. Libertarians cherish individual liberty as do the (true) anarchists. I’m not sure why some people still insist on narrowing the scope of the Liberty movement...