It is a misconception that these people assume from criticisms libertarians have about government. People assume since this group is so critical about government that libertarians do not want any form of government. However, that is simply untrue. Michael Shermer outlines the basics of what it means to be a libertarian in his online article “The Case for Libertarianism” when he states “But, basically, libertarians are for freedom and liberty for individuals, and yet we recognize that in order to be free we must also be protected. Libertarianism is grounded in the Principle of Freedom: All people are free to think, believe, and act as they choose, as long as they do not infringe on the equal freedom of others”. Being a libertarian simply means wanting to maximize individual freedom and minimize government intervention which is also why being libertarian is not synonymous with being an anarchist. An anarchist wants no government as opposed to a libertarian who just wants a limited
It is a misconception that these people assume from criticisms libertarians have about government. People assume since this group is so critical about government that libertarians do not want any form of government. However, that is simply untrue. Michael Shermer outlines the basics of what it means to be a libertarian in his online article “The Case for Libertarianism” when he states “But, basically, libertarians are for freedom and liberty for individuals, and yet we recognize that in order to be free we must also be protected. Libertarianism is grounded in the Principle of Freedom: All people are free to think, believe, and act as they choose, as long as they do not infringe on the equal freedom of others”. Being a libertarian simply means wanting to maximize individual freedom and minimize government intervention which is also why being libertarian is not synonymous with being an anarchist. An anarchist wants no government as opposed to a libertarian who just wants a limited