Why (l)ibertarian?

Why (l)ibertarian? First, you might be wondering why I put the 'l' in parentheses. It's an important distinction to make as (l)ibertarian implies a political philosophy whereas (L)ibertarian is someone who is a member of the Libertarian Party or other official Libertarian group. Many libertarians don't necessarily want to associate themselves with a political party since one of the cornerstones of libertarianism is individuality. The notion of a political party with an official platform that is supposed to represent everyone who registers or identifies themselves as such runs contrary to the individualism espoused by those who subscribe to the libertarian school of thought.

But going back to the original question, there are many reasons why more and more people every day are embracing libertarianism. The primary reasons usually entail some combination of the following:

• Self-ownership
• Peace
• NAP (the non-aggression principle)
• Voluntaryism 
• Economic and personal freedom

We're going to cover each of these ideas in various ways as this blog continues. It's impossible to make a compelling case for liberty in one blog post! It's going to be an ongoing conversation. I might be preaching to the converted, or there might be some curious types lurking around who might have previously dismissed the notion of libertarianism but are thinking about giving it another shake. And, of course, there will be trolls. Hopefully they'll be kept to a minimum so that we can have a civil conversation about some of the ideas presented here.

In the meantime, I'm but one person, one small voice, advocating for the ideas of personal and economic liberty. But another group dedicated to spreading the ideas of liberty, Learn Liberty, has created a unique tumblr page with a collage of people all holding signs offering a short explanation of why they are libertarians. Don't just take my word for it. Click here to go to that page and see why hundreds of others have found appeal in the ideas of liberty.

While you're at it, why don't you leave a comment with your own reasons for embracing libertarianism? Or, if you're not there yet, leave a question or concern you have when trying to envision a libertarian society.