What is the difference between a liberal and a libertarian?

Answer 1

One wants absolute government control of us and the other wants minimal government intervention in our lives.

Edit for shiestyelbow:

If anything, you've reinforced my opinion of how uneducated most liberals are. What's the matter, finishing junior high school prove to be too much of an obstacle?

Answer 2

People will continually give you wrong answers on this. The best thing to do is to the research yourself.

The argument most used to describe Liberal, Libertarian, Conservative and moderate will have more to do with Government then to do with the real issue which is civil liberties.

The ACLU for example has more in common with Libertarianism than the Republicans do, but most Republicans who believe they are Libertarian would reject that.

Another example is how Civil Liberties are viewed, Environmentalists say, don't pollute the air, Libertarians Ron Paul and Friedrich Hayek, agree, but Conservatives believe the company can do whatever it wants

In reality, the issue boils down to taxes. Liberals want the government to ensure that you have rights, Libertarians believe that a just society will never take away your Civil Rights, Conservatives want to decide who gets protection and who doesn't.

Answer 3

Government from Right to Left

Anarchist, Libertarian, Conservative, Moderate, Liberal, Socialist, Communist.

An Anarchist believes the Individual is everything, and the Society is nothing.

A Communist believes the Society is everything, and the Individual is nothing.

Libertarians want minimal government. Even smaller than Conservatives.

Liberals want many government programs to 'help' people.

Both titles begin with 'Liber' which means Liberty or Freedom. But Libertarians mean Individual freedom, while Liberals mean freely spending tax dollars on people.

People often lie about what they are. Liberals frequently call themselves Moderates, but you can sniff them out by asking what the maximum tax rate should be.

Anarchist = 0%, Libertarian = 10%, Conservative = 20%, Moderate = 40%, Liberal = 60%, Socialist 80%, Communist = 100%.

Answer 4

A lot.

Libertarians believe in what the constitution says. They are for the maximum amount of individual liberty, both fiscally/economically and socially, and a small efficient government. Less taxes as well. Believe highly in personal responsibility and accountability for ones own life and actions.
http://www.mainstreamlibertarian.com/

Liberals on the otherhand, are for social freedoms but less fiscal/economic freedoms, as they support a larger government with many social programs (i.e. welfare, universal medicine, public housing, etc.) and more taxes to pay for those programs. They usually support what is called a "Nanny State" government that makes laws and regulations to basically tell you what is best for you, and will make you do so to protect you from bad decisions. Hence the name. Thus they don't stress personal responsibility and accountability that much.

Conservatives are for less social freedoms (abortion, gay rights and anything considered taboo or immoral that may have a negative impact on society), but are for more fiscal/economic freedoms. They too are for a smaller government and less taxes. Also believes highly in personal responsibility and accountability for ones own life and actions. Conservatives are much closer in relation to libertarians than liberals.

Answer 5

JimmyJ is close; the liberal believes society is responsible for everything and the libertarian believes the individual is responsible for everything. As such the liberal believes in big government solutions and the libertarian actually believes in "no" government solutions (that is extreme but that is the ultimate libertarian view).

Answer 6

G'day Aiden,

Thank you for your question.

A liberal is defined differently in different countries. Liberalism is based on a theory of individual rights and equality of opportunity. Liberals generally support extensive freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market or mixed economy, and a transparent system of government as well as liberal democracy.

There are two schools of Liberal thought. Classical liberals support free private enterprise, individual property rights, laissez-faire economic policy, and freedom of contract, and oppose the welfare state. These positions are components of libertarianism. Classical liberals support equality before the law, but hold that economic inequality, arising from competition in the free market, does not justify wealth redistribution by governments.

In contrast, social liberals advocate a greater degree of government influence to protect individual rights (in a broad sense), often in the form of anti-discrimination laws. Social liberals support universal education, and also support the provision of welfare, including benefits for the unemployed, housing for the homeless, and medical care for the sick, all supported by progressive taxation. The social liberals positions are defined as liberalism in the US.

Libertarians believe that hat all persons are the absolute owners of their own lives, and should be free to do whatever they wish with their persons or property, provided they allow others the same liberty. There is a school of thought within libertarianism called consequential libertarianism. Consequentialist libertarians do not have a moral prohibition against "initiation of force," but believe that allowing a very large scope of political and economic liberty results in the maximum well-being or efficiency for a society - even if protecting this liberty involves some initiation of force by government. However, such governmental actions are limited in the free society consequentialists envision. This type of libertarianism is associated with Milton Friedman, Ludwig von Mises, and Friedrich Hayek. Some writers who have been called libertarians have also been referred to as classical liberals, by others or themselves. Also, some use the phrase "the freedom philosophy" to refer to libertarianism, classical liberalism, or both.

I have attached sources for your reference.

Regards

Answer 7

The republicans get in office and use the Government to make there Friends rich. Instead of reducing government regulation that was past by there foes they leave it in full force and slip exemptions in to bills for there friends ,, thus we all suffer the democrats big government but the republican butt buddies don't,, Making their properties and corporations worth much more money and then knocking out there competition that does have to follow the rules... that's why they are not capitalists, they are communists.

Answer 8

Liberals want the government to be your Mommy. Conservatives want government to be your Daddy. Libertarians want it to treat you like an adult. – Andre Marrou

Answer 9

One is a epitaph for a Democrat, the other is a third party that believe there should be no government, only a police force to enforce property rights.

This is what these words mean here. The actual Websters Definition you could probably look up (And get some convoluted bull crap).

Answer 10

Huge, usually conservatives are grouped with libertarians more.

Here is a very big generalization,
liberals= gvt involved in social programs and economics, but stays out of morality and everyday life
conservative= gvt involved in morality and has a say in the direction society takes on social issues, stays out of economics and social programs
libertarian=gvt involved in only the very bear minimum and pretty much stays out of economics, morality, and in some more extreme cases stays out of military actions and border control

Answer 11

They have nothing in common besides their name. Libertarians want NO government interference with daily life whatsoever. Unlike conservatives who want some government interference for abortion, gay marriage, ect. a libertarian would even reject that.