Steve Green started a pretty lively debate with his recent posts about libertarianism, and as I read through the dozens of comments people have left at his site I struck by how little people know about libertarianism. That includes people who should know better.
So perhaps I should go over some of the basics. This first one is relevant to Steve's posts.
Small 'l' vs big 'L' libertarians.
The word 'libertarian' connotes both a loose political philosophy and a U.S. political party. A person who favors the philosophy can be called a libertarian, and someone who is a member of the party is a Libertarian. It's very simple, but frequently writers use 'Libertarian' as shorthand for someone who subscribes to a purist, more dogmatic version of libertarian philosophy. This can be quite confusing, as actual Libertarians may not be as extremist as other libertarians outside the party.
I hope that makes things clearer.
Posted by Walter at February 1, 2004 08:34 AM