The Test: What Kind of Libertarian Are You?

If you feel constrained by the Democrat/Republican, liberal/conservative divide, you might be a Libertarian. And if that's the case, Learn Liberty's wide-ranging Philosophy 201 & 202 courses is for you.

In this introductory video, Peter Jaworski, Assistant Teaching Professor at Georgetown University, and Chris Freiman, Associate Professor at William and Mary University lay out a brief syllabus, defining Libertarianism as a political philosophy that regards individual liberty as the morally appropriate and legitimate priority for political institutions.

They also cover questions like:

Are you really a Libertarian, and if so, what kind? (Yes, there are many kinds - including Deontological Libertarians, Bleeding-heart Libertarians, Consequentialists, and Aristotelians.)
What are the history, economics, and philosophy of Libertarianism?
What approach does Libertarianism take toward private property, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement?

Above all, the course is designed to shed light on all aspects of Libertarian philosophy and provide a deeper understanding of the variety of Libertarian views.

For more insightful videos from experts on law, legislation, and liberty, visit SFL Academy:

LEARN LIBERTY:

[SBEngine]

"Libertarianism is the unrestricted respect for each other's life project, based on the principle of non-aggression and respecting the rights of life, freedom and property" -Alberto Benegas Lynch Jr.

[afonsocarvalhoaraujo]

In Europe, “liberalism” has a very different meaning than the American meaning. While in the US, "liberalism" is regarded as a left-wing, progressive and socialist ideology, in Europe, "liberals" are very similar to what you call "libertarians". It's just that in Europe the word "libertarian" is rarely used, and when it is used, libertarians tend to be considered as more "radical" liberals, including minarchists and anarcho-capitalists.

[dustinabc]

Libertarian: a person who consistently supports liberty.
Conversely, a person who consistently opposes violating the natural rights of others.

Those are my layer 1 definitions.

[dustinabc]

I wasn't really aware of a few of these specific terms. And didn't hear the ones i have used to describe myself- voluntaryist, ancap, anarchist, and aspiring agorist.
Looking forward to these videos.

[Pyriphlegeton]

Use better mics and turn down the music, please.

[Efferheim]

Morality is not and never should be the purview of government because it is the fastest avenue of governmental overreach.

Legality due to infringement on individual rights is the only allowable argument that government should have any intervention in.

Morality should be controlled by the social pressure of one’s religion or chosen societal group.

Anything bad for you is a moral issue, anything restricting your individual freedom is a legal issue.
Assisted suicide is an example. It is the ultimate absolute expression of one’s individual freedom. Nothing else so effects the individual more permanently than choosing to end one’s life but by circumstances, be incapable of doing so. The government should have no say over this, because it is solely within the realm of two individuals’ rights; and should only be controlled by their morality.

[moribundmurdoch]

Videos on every type of libertarianism sounds awesome. You guys should get Dominic Frisby for Geo-libertarianism, Max Borders for Panarchism, the Crypto 6 for agorism/crypto-anarchism, Bryan Caplan for anarcho-capitalism, Tam Laird for Scottish Enlightenment Libertarianism, etc.

[hermanhoppe]

I am a Pro life libertarian. Voted for Ron Paul both 2008 2012

[rogersan]

I'm eager to watch the next episodes.

[Tyler-hfuc]

Chris Freiman is so fucking underrated in the libertarian community. I had the pleasure of meeting him at an IHS conference and he was thoughtful and intelligent.

[colinmerritt]

All my life I thought of libertarianism as a far-right group. Nice ideal on the outside, but when the rubber meets the road..eh. Then last night I read an interview of Penn Jillette, who I have huge respect for, and he talked about his own libertarianism. It made sense.

I started thinking "I don't even trust the government to pave roads, " and started digging around to see if there was a niche for me. I think there is.

Thanks for an informative video!

[LuminaryAluminum]

Your editors were so preoccupied with whether they could mix in BGM, they didn't stop to think if they should.

[inlandbott]

looks like an interesting video, but unfortunately, I couldn't hear what you were saying over the music!!

[davidking]

It sounds like some people see themselves as Libertarians because they are interested in certain rights, where I believe in all rights except those that do harm to others.

[Docneg]

Whose idea was it to have erratic music drown out the speakers' voices?

[fhvhhrw]

Fucked up world :
Libertarians : HEY... YOU ARENT SELFISH ENOUGH!

[MuscleE-Mac]

I would classify myself as a Constitutional Libertarian. Constitutional, in that all rights apply to all peoples regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, and ideology, and libertarian in that I support the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP) in guiding my beliefs on where the Constitution may have gaps.

I sincerely believe that you can't be a libertarian and support abortion because it violates NAP. I would love to have a respectful discussion of dissenting opinions on this if you're willing.

[ww]

I have a hard time following your conversation through the music.

[deadman]

I signed up. One question. I want the liberty *not to wear a suit to make videos.* Is that OK?

[kimberHD]

The primary fundamental flaws with “libertarianism” is it sees the ills of society as only political in nature and that individual liberty is the end, not a means to an end.
Both propositions are absurd and self defeating.
The ills in society do not originate in political constructs (although ills are often magnified through it and government can be abused to inflict greater harm to populations), rather ills in society originate within individuals who abused both their liberty and political establishments. A society which allows too much freedom is as unjust and evil as a society that unjustly restricts freedom.
In its proper context, the goal of liberty is to have the unhindered ability to do what is right, not what you want. To prove this, there’s ubiquitous, no, almost endless examples of unchecked individual liberty ruining lives, sometimes themselves sometimes others, while pursuing individual choices. The individual alone is not the arbiter of what actions are acceptable or moral, that is the definition of irresponsibility.
However, there are positive aspects to some strains of libertarianism, like the stark opposition to genuine infringement of true freedoms, and a dedication to eliminate the corruptions of centralization, debauching of money and cronyism.