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What is libertarianism?

Just like the terms "democracy" and "socialism," the terms "liberty" and "libertarianism" have often been corrupted by opportunists seeking to use the term to boost their own support. Today, many people claim to be "libertarian" while supporting policies and ideas that run directly contrary to the basic principles of libertarianism.

Simply put, libertarianism is a political philosophy that emphasizes the concept of liberty; that is, the freedom to do whatever one likes in life, as long as one does not intrude on the rights of others. Some libertarians (commonly referred to as social anarchists or libertarian socialists) assert that liberty goes hand-in-hand with equality, whereas other libertarians (referred to as mutualists, minarchists or anarcho-capitalists) assert that there is necessarily a certain degree of income inequality in a libertarian society, although much less than the income inequality that we have today.

The relationship between libertarianism and anarchism

The terms "libertarianism" and "anarchism" can generally be used interchangeably. Anarchists came up with the term libertarianism (originally "libertaire" in French) because the term "anarchism" is often associated with the concept of "anarchy," in the sense of disorder and chaos, leading to a negative public image of the movement. Needless to say, neither libertarianism nor anarchism advocate disorder and chaos. Rather, as Proudhon put it, anarchists and libertarians believe that "liberty is the mother, not the daughter, of order," meaning that we believe that the social order should arise from the free association of individuals in a free society rather than imposed by a minority through the use of force.

A libertarian political program

Libertarians often define themselves by what they are *against*: we are against big government, we are against neoliberal capitalism, we are against racism and nationalism, etc. However, I think libertarians should talk more about what kind of society we are striving for, in ordinary terms that the general public can understand. So here is a short and hopefully non-controversial list of libertarian policy goals:

Absolute freedom of speech, of the press, of conscience, and of assembly, from corporations and governments alike.
Public ownership of key natural resources, utilities, and public goods through democratic decision-making bodies.
The abolition and nullification of all intellectual property, including copyrights, trademarks, and patents, with all published intellectual works belonging in the public domain.
The complete legalization of squatting and the elimination of rentierism and real estate speculation.
A democratic political system with universal suffrage, secret ballot, and elections secure against tampering.
The decentralization of political power to local governments.
The use of direct democracy to decide on key issues.
Replacing the military and the police with universal militias.
The unconditional and unrestricted right to bear arms.
The disarmament and disposal of all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear and chemical weapons.
A non-adversarial legal system that presumes innocent until proven guilty.
Universal trial by jury and the elimination of jury tampering.
The abolition of prison and other forms of torture and punishment as well as the death penalty. The implementation of restorative justice and mental health programs instead.
Open borders. Free trade and free movement of persons and goods between national and regional boundaries with no restrictions.
The legalization and deregulation of drugs, gambling, etc. The "right to be stupid."
The right to form private and public corporations as well as co-operatives and syndicates with no restrictions.
The right to form labor unions and take strike action without interference.