libertarianism

noun

lib·​er·​tar·​i·​an·​ism ˌli-bər-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

-ˈte-rē-

1

see usage paragraph below : a political philosophy emphasizing the individual's right to liberty (see liberty sense 1) and especially to freedom as it pertains to property, labor, and earnings

Note: Libertarianism asserts that government should be used solely to protect the freedom of the individual and should not be used for financing social services or public works or for subsidizing or regulating businesses.

Two ideas are fundamental to libertarianism. First, each individual is entitled to live as he or she thinks right provided he or she does not try to force others to live in the same fashion. Second, each individual has the right to acquire and keep property. If government is necessary, it is only to uphold these fundamental rights.

—C. Kukathas

… he's also built a case that libertarianism can amount to more than just a protest vote. Increasingly, when he denounces government spending, military intervention, and abuse of executive power, [Justin] Amash has company from both sides of the aisle.

—Tim Murphy

A healthy libertarianism can still be individualistic, but it's also deeply concerned with both personal virtue and the rights of others. … Libertarianism says that your rights are more important than my desires.

—David French

At the same time, conservative white evangelicals have a long record of being highly pragmatic, rather than purist, in their libertarianism. Throughout American history, they have been more than happy to use the tools of the federal government to protect their own authority and advance a moral agenda—as they did, for example, during the campaign for Prohibition.

—Molly Worthen

2

philosophy : a theory or doctrine affirming the existence of free will (see free will sense 2) : indeterminism

Usage of Classical Liberalism and Libertarianism

Both classical liberalism and libertarianism refer to a political philosophy asserting that governmental power should be limited to that required for protecting the freedom of the individual. Classical liberalism is a philosophy supported or promoted in modern times, but it is also recognized as an early form of liberalism dating to the 17th century. However, where modern liberalism typically calls for the government to both protect and advance the freedom of the individual (as by relieving social inequities), classical liberalism contends that extending governmental power beyond the protection of individual freedom carries the risk that those who govern will abuse their power. Libertarianism is sometimes considered to be a modern term for what is essentially classical liberalism, but it is also sometimes held to be its own philosophy calling for a more limited role for government.

Classical liberalism regards justice and liberty as requiring a much more limited role for government than do modern forms of liberalism. Indeed, apart from the provision of a limited range of goods that benefit all but that, most argue, society seems unable to secure save by governmental provision (so-called public goods, such as roads and harbors and, more controversially, relief of destitution), the only role for government that classical liberalism considers consistent with human liberty and justice is that of restraining individuals from constraining others, plus protecting individuals in the possession of whatever lawful property is theirs. Depending on the context, libertarianism can be seen as either the contemporary name for classical liberalism, adopted to avoid confusion in those countries where liberalism is widely understood to denote advocacy of expansive government powers, or as a more radical version of classical liberalism.

—David Conway

Examples of libertarianism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These appearances take the shape of friendly hangouts where Trump and the hosts cover topics like sports, libertarianism, free speech, dads, and conspiracy theories, a topic that connects with the former president’s vigorous deployment of baseless claims. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024

His libertarianism, however, is qualified by the belief that societies can function properly only when their members are welded together by a shared commitment to a larger cause. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

Seattle’s sweetly sublimated punk realm that somehow blends libertarianism and communitarianism. —Matt Thompson, SPIN, 18 Oct. 2024

And sources told the paper that his main political philosophy is essentially free market, anti-regulation libertarianism. —Byandrew Nusca, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2024

Unlike libertarianism, which predated Rand and already had an American following, Objectivism, as Rand named her philosophy, attracted a core group of mostly first-generation American and Canadian Jews who were in their teens and early 20s during the Eisenhower years. —Marco Roth, Washington Post, 30 July 2024

The Mises Caucus is a more hardline, edgy and sometimes inflammatory take on libertarianism that is more compatible with the Republican Party under Trump — which is partly why the former president spoke at the party’s convention this year. —Stephen Fowler, NPR, 21 June 2024

Only after Reagan’s term did Republican trade policies turn more toward economic libertarianism—which means there is space to revive certain protective policies without rejecting free trade entirely. —Gerald F. Seib, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2