Essay Database

What is libertarianism? Libertarians want a win-win world of peace and plenty. And we believe that the only way to get it is through self-government... not others-government. Self-government is the combination of personal responsibility and tolerance. Responsibility means you govern yourself. Tolerance means you don't force your values on peaceful, honest people. Today, however, others-government is giving us insecurity, conflict and poverty. Let's revitalize our heritage of self-government to create a win-win world where everyone …

…ought not to be able to regulate your behavior. Much as we would like to be free of such regulation, most people also want to be able to regulate the behavior of others for practical reasons. Some libertarians claim that they want the first so much, that they will be willing to forgo the second. Most other people feel that both are necessary (and that it would be hypocritical or stupid to want just one.)