What is libertarian philosophy?
The libertarian political philosophy, also known as classical liberalism, has existed in some form for several centuries. Libertarians believe in individual liberty, small government and free markets. The central element of libertarian thought is that people should generally be free to do what they want with what they own, so long as they don’t interfere with other people or property without permission. Consequently, libertarians generally do not support the government getting involved to tell people how to run their lives — either in the economic sphere or in the social sphere. Libertarians tend to prefer the voluntary interactions of the market and civil society over the government, which uses the threat of violence to force people to follow government rules.
