Five Types of Libertarianism & Why They’re All Important to Liberty

1. Moderates

Moderate libertarians, while recognizing that the government spends far too much of our money and controls far too many areas of our lives, take a less radical stance on government than other types of libertarians. For instance, they might favor ending the prohibition of marijuana and taxing it, while others might object to taxing it. And, instead of calling for the elimination of many federal departments, they could instead advocate reducing them in size or trying to make them run more efficiently. Because of this, moderate libertarians are likely the most appealing type of libertarian to non-libertarians. As such, they can draw people in in ways that more radical libertarians might be unable to do. Rand Paul and Milton Friedman are examples of moderate libertarians who can catch and keep the attention of non-libertarians while also explaining libertarian ideas in a way that they can easily understand.