Does being libertarian mean you are an anarchist?

I've mentioned I was libertarian to my friends, and one of them said, "Oh you are an anarchist." I was distressed by what he said. I have never tried to burn down buildings or bomb a building. So am I an anarchist?

Yes. 1
No. 26
I don't know. 6
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Comments ( 13 )
  • dinz

    The main different between the two is the view on government organisations.

    Libertarians - a small government of some form.

    Anarchists - no government at all.

    I personally believe that Anarchism won't work in such a complicated country like the US, for example, if we were to privatise roads, and let's say the corporation decided it was not profitable to fix a particular road because it's residents are not paying enough. How would these residents be able to address such a problem? There must be a third party independent of the two parties to resolve it.

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    • SuperBenzid

      Anarchism means no central government at all, not necessarily no government at all.

      I agree with you that Anarchism would not work in a land with private property.
      Anarchism might work in a place that did not have private property however.

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  • iEatZombies_

    Your friend is an idiot.

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  • SuperBenzid

    Yes it does actually. Libertarian used to mean communist-aligned anarchist, I know tons of people won't believe me but you can look that up. So in a way the term does mean that.

    However in America only, the term has been co-opted by the ultra-right wing to mean minarchist. I have no idea why they didn't just use the term minarchist since it already existed.

    However Libertarian capitalism is a contradiction. As large private property needs a large state to protect it and deregulated capitalism leads to large private property. The original Libertarian Communism at least made sense because in a society without private property there is almost no need for a police force as theft becomes impossible in such a society and the motivation for most crimes disappear.

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  • Imsupernormal

    No being libertarian does not make you an anarchist. But it is possible to be a anarchist and libertarian. Its called Anarcho-Capitalism.

    You should look up Murray Rothbard he was an economist who was a libertarian anarchist.

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  • flatusfairy

    Only a simpleton and imbecile would confuse anarchism with libertarianism or equate the two as belonging in any similar category.
    Having spoken for 95% of Americans, yes there are complete major differences.
    Anarchism is strictly speaking social Darwinism- meaning no government at any level- people fend for themselves.
    Free market Anarchism is a poor way of describing a true Free Market Capitalist- anarchism in this sense means the free market is free from corporate and government interference (subsidy & intervention)- unlike USA and Wall St. USA has not been capitalist since 1913. UK 1750-1850's and US period of greatest wealth production and industrialization- 1850-1913 are better example of true free market economics- though much was left to be desired in the regulation and enforcement of contracts/property rights/law due to extremely corrupt government.

    Libertarianism is current society with far less government intrusion- meaning smaller government with a non-interventionist foreign policy (no fake US wars for dollars- see Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria etc) and a conservative fiscal policy of minimal government expenditure and a currency pegged to a commodity not based on fractional Federal Reserve. See Con. (R) Ron Paul as leading US libertarian.

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  • i thought libertarians are a group of people

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  • Terence_the_viking

    I think you need to ask your mum she will know.

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  • BooPup

    No.

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  • GuessWho

    It really depends on the context.

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  • NotFloydzie

    No, you're not an anarchist. Some people just have a very closed mind.

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  • OswaldCobblepot

    No, it only means that you don't understand how the world works.

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  • Mando

    They are both kind of dumb in my view in that they skirt essential and inevitable public needs and interests. Might work if by yourself on a deserted island.

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