Part of the series on Libertarianism

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In civics, minarchism, sometimes called minimal statism, or small government, is the belief that the size, role and influence of government should be limited. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Agorism is an anarchist Political philosophy founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III that holds the ultimate goal as bringing about a society in which Anarcho-capitalism (also known as Free-market anarchism) is an individualist anarchist Political philosophy that advocates the elimination Autarchism (from Greek, "belief in self rule" is a Political philosophy that upholds the principle of Individual liberty, rejects compulsory Christian libertarianism should not be confused with Libertarian Christianity. Geolibertarianism is a Political movement that strives to reconcile Libertarianism and Georgism (or geoism) Green libertarianism is a Political philosophy that has developed in the United States. Individualist anarchism refers to any of several traditions that hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective Left-libertarianism (or left-wing libertarianism) is a term that has been adopted by several different libertarian political movements and theorists Libertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that aim to create a society without political economic or social hierarchies – a society in which all violent Individualist feminism (sometimes also grouped with libertarian feminism or ifeminism) is a term for feminist ideas which seek to celebrate Free-market anarchism (sometimes called market anarchism) refers to an Individualist anarchist Philosophy that harmonizes the abolition of the state with Market socialism is a term used to denote two different Economic system (s based in Socialism which operate according to Market principles Mutualism, is an Anarchist school of thought, can be traced to the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon that envisioned a society where each person might possess a Neolibertarianism is a political philosophy combining elements of Libertarian and Neoconservative thought that embraces Incrementalism domestically Paleolibertarianism is a school of thought within American Libertarianism founded by Lew Rockwell and Murray Rothbard, and closely associated Right-libertarianism or right libertarianism is a phrase used to either describe non- Collectivist forms of Libertarianism or a variety of different libertarian Voluntaryism is a Philosophy that opposes anything that it sees as unjustifiably invasive and Coercive. Objectivism is a Philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the 20th century that encompasses positions on Metaphysics, Epistemology, The Austrian School, also known as the “ Vienna School ” or the “ Psychological School ” is a heterodox school of economics that advocates Classical liberalism (also known as traditional liberalism, Laissez-faire liberalism, Market liberalism or in much of the world Individualist anarchism refers to any of several traditions that hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. Counter-economics is a term originally coined by Samuel Edward Konkin III, a radical Libertarian activist and theorist who defined it as " the study and/or Decriminalization is the reduction or abolition of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts but regulated permits or fines might still apply (for contrast Economic freedom is freedom to produce trade and consume any goods and services acquired without the use of force fraud or theft A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers Free trade is a system in which the trade of goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions The question of free will Freedom of contract or contractualism is the idea that individuals should be free to bargain among themselves the terms of their own contracts without government interference The homestead principle (or original appropriation) is part of libertarian and anarcho-capitalist Ethics. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal Methodological individualism is a philosophical method aimed at explaining and understanding broad society-wide developments as the aggregation of decisions by individuals Laissez-faire ( pronunciation: French,; English,) is a French phrase literally meaning Let do (“allow to do” Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force A night watchman state, or a minimal state, is a Form of government in Political philosophy where the government's responsibilities are so minimal they The non-aggression principle (also called the non-aggression axiom, anticoercion principle, or zero aggression principle) is a Deontological Nonintervention or non-interventionism is a foreign policy which holds that political rulers should avoid alliances with other nations and avoid all wars not related to direct Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of Organization. Self-ownership (or sovereignty of the individual, individual sovereignty or individual autonomy) is the moral or natural right (aka Freedom of a person The subjective theory of value (or theory of subjective value) is an economic theory of value that holds that "to possess value an object must be both useful A tax resister resists or refuses payment of a Tax because of opposition to the institution collecting the tax or to some of that institution’s policies The libertarian movement consists of the various individuals and institutions who expound or promote the ideas and causes of Libertarianism. Libertarianism is a Political philosophy that emphasises the Liberty of the individual and seeks to minimize or even abolish the State. Many countries and subnational political entities have libertarian political parties. Libertarian theories of law build upon classical liberal and individualist anarchist doctrines Adherents of different ideologies have criticized Libertarianism for various reasons Civil libertarianism is a strain of political thought that supports Civil liberties, or who emphasizes the supremacy of Individual rights and Personal freedoms For the revolt in Brazil, see Constitutionalist Revolution. The term Constitutionalism is a word with a variety of meanings A libertarian Democrat is a person who subscribes to libertarian philosophy while typically voting for and being involved with the United States Democratic Party. A libertarian Republican (LR is a person who subscribes to libertarian philosophy while typically voting for and being involved with the United States Republican Party Libertarian transhumanism is a Political philosophy synthesizing Libertarianism and Transhumanism. Civics is the study of citizenship and government with particular attention given to the role of citizens― as opposed to external factors― in the operation and oversight of government Statism (or Etatism) is a very loose and often Derogatory term that is used to describe Specific instances of state intervention in personal social Limited Government is a government structure where any more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is not usually allowed by Law, usually For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. As they are contractarians, they believe that a state is necessary, but should be minimal enough to protect the liberty and property of each individual. Social contract describes a broad class of republican theories whose subjects are implied agreements by which people form Nations and maintain a Social order Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual

The term was coined in 1970 or 1971 by Samuel Edward Konkin III, an agorist. Samuel Edward Konkin III (aka SEK3) ( July 8, 1947 - February 23, 2004) was the author of The New Libertarian Manifesto Agorism is an anarchist Political philosophy founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III that holds the ultimate goal as bringing about a society in which ^[1][2] Many minarchists consider themselves also as libertarians. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the The term is perhaps most often used to differentiate libertarians who believe it is possible to have a state that protects individual liberty without violating it itself, from the market anarchists who believe that any state is inherently a violation of individual liberty. Free-market anarchism (sometimes called market anarchism) refers to an Individualist anarchist Philosophy that harmonizes the abolition of the state with A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population.

Contents 1 Ideology 2 Notable minarchists 3 Criticism 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

Ideology

Minarchists agree that the guiding principle in determining what should or should not fall into the domain of the government is the maximization of individual liberty. A system of government is a term that refers to the set of political Institutions by which a Government of a State is organized in order to exert its powers Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions See also Form of government This article lists forms of government and Political systems according to a series of different ways of categorising them Anarchy (from αναρχία anarchía, "without ruler " may refer to any of the following "Absence of government a state of lawlessness Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union An autocracy is a Form of government in which the Political power is held by a single self-appointed ruler A band society is the simplest form of human Society. A band generally consists of a small kin group no larger than an Extended family or Clan. A chiefdom is a type of complex society of varying degrees of centralization that is led by an individual known as a chief. This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. Communist state is a term used by many Political scientists to describe a Form of government in which the State operates under a one-party system Corporatocracy is a Neologism that describes a Government dominated by corporate influence banks and governments Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Despotism is a Form of government by a single authority either an individual or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute political power A dictatorship is usually defined as an autocratic Form of government in which the Government is ruled by a Dictator. A military dictatorship is a Form of government wherein the political power resides with the Military; it is similar but not identical to a Stratocracy, Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed A kleptocracy (sometimes cleptocracy, occasionally kleptarchy) ( root klepto+kratein = rule by thieves) is a term applied to a Kritarchy is a form of government ruled by judges It may have existed in Israel during the period of time described in the Book of Judges and exist in Somalia under the Meritocracy is a system of a government or another organization wherein Appointments are made and responsibilities are given based on demonstrated talent and Ability A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Absolute monarchy is a monarchical Form of government where the king and queen have absolute power over everything A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is An empire (from the Latin " Imperium " denoting military Command within the ancient Roman government) is a State that Ochlocracy ( Greek: οχλοκρατία or okhlokratía; Latin: ochlocratia) is government by mob or a mass of people Oligarchy' ( Greek, Oligarkhía) is a Form of government where Political power effectively rests with a small elite segment Plutocracy is rule by the wealthy or power provided by wealth A puppet state is a State that is nominally independent but in reality under the control of another power A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Mixed government, also known as a mixed constitution, is a form of government that integrated facets of government by Democracy, Oligarchy, and Monarchy A constitutional Republic is a State where the Head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people and A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a form of a Republic which operates under a Parliamentary system of government The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any A capitalist republic is a concept of government completely the reverse of Marxist thought Cybernetic revolt|Artificial intelligence in fiction The concept of Machine Rule is a common theme in Science fiction stories and film, in which an artificially A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party Technocracy: A form of government in which scientists and technical experts are in control "technocracy is described as that society in which those who govern justify themselves Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler Theodemocracy is a political system theorized by Joseph Smith Jr Constitutional theory defines a timocracy as either a State where only property owners may participate in Government; or a government Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use They hold a belief in contractarianism that states that a minimal government is necessary to prevent chaos. Social contract describes a broad class of republican theories whose subjects are implied agreements by which people form Nations and maintain a Social order Minarchists are generally opposed to government programs that either transfer wealth and economic regulations of certain sectors of the economy. Redistribution of wealth refers to the transfer of wealth from some individuals to others However, most minarchists support some level of government funding, including perhaps taxation in some limited cases, as long as individual liberty and the non-aggression principle are not compromised. Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force The non-aggression principle (also called the non-aggression axiom, anticoercion principle, or zero aggression principle) is a Deontological ^[3]

Some minarchists use utilitarian arguments, as they compromise the non-aggression principle by taxation. Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall Utility, that is its contribution to happiness They might use theoretical economic arguments, like Ludwig von Mises's contribution to Austrian economics, or statistical economic research, like the Indices of Economic Freedom. Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (ˈluːtvɪç fɔn ˈmiːzəs ( September 29, 1881 – October 10, 1973) was an Austrian The Austrian School, also known as the “ Vienna School ” or the “ Psychological School ” is a heterodox school of economics that advocates Other arguments for minarchism are natural rights, contractarianism and egalitarianism. Social contract describes a broad class of republican theories whose subjects are implied agreements by which people form Nations and maintain a Social order Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning equal) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have

Minarchists often disagree on exactly how to accomplish this. They are more likely in favoring reforms such as voting instead of the counter-economic strategies advocated by market anarchists. For other uses see Reform (disambiguation Reform means beneficial change or sometimes more specifically reversion to a pure original Counter-economics is a term originally coined by Samuel Edward Konkin III, a radical Libertarian activist and theorist who defined it as " the study and/or Free-market anarchism (sometimes called market anarchism) refers to an Individualist anarchist Philosophy that harmonizes the abolition of the state with ^[4]

Minarchists tend to favor a democratic republic collectively controlled state instead of one single controller. In addition, they oppose multiple competing juristictions and private defense agencies in a geographical territory. They believe that monarchists would abuse their powers.

Some minarchists favor the administration and funding of government services in a small jurisdiction, (like a city or county) over a larger jurisdiction like the federal government. This is favored because decisions are presumed to be more efficient when the decision-makers are more local. This also leaves individuals who wish to avoid living or working under a municipality to move to another municipality. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or Thus, this is reducing the likelihood of government oppression and corruption due to competing municipalities. Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain They tend to support federalism over a unified government. Political federalism is a Political philosophy in which a group of members are bound together (Latin foedus, covenant) with a governing ^{[5] [6]}

Notable minarchists

The distinction between minarchism and big government is not clear-cut, and often there is a spectrum of minarchism. Big government (sometimes capitalized as Big Government) is a Pejorative term generally used by political conservatives, Laissez-faire Clearcutting or clearfelling is a Forestry / Logging practice in which the clear majority of all trees in a forest sector are cut down A spectrum (plural spectra or spectrums) is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum.

Prominent minarchists include Benjamin Constant, Herbert Spencer, Leonard Read, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, James M. Buchanan, Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand, John Hospers, Robert Nozick and George Reisman. This article concerns the European writer and politician for others see Benjamin Constant (disambiguation. Herbert Spencer ( April 27, 1820 – December 8, 1903) was an English Philosopher; prominent classical liberal Leonard E Read ( September 26, 1898 May 14, 1983) was the founder of the Foundation for Economic Education, which was the first Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (ˈluːtvɪç fɔn ˈmiːzəs ( September 29, 1881 – October 10, 1973) was an Austrian Friedrich August von Hayek CH ( May 8, 1899 March 23, 1992) was an Austrian British Economist James McGill Buchanan Jr (born October 3 1919 is an American Economist renowned for his work on Public choice theory, for which he won the 1986 Milton Friedman (July 31 1912 November 16 2006 was an American Nobel Laureate Economist and Public intellectual. Ayn Rand (ˈaɪn ˈrænd &ndash March 6 1982 born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum (Алиса Зиновьевна Розенбаум was a Russian born American John Hospers (born 9 June 1918) is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California. Robert Nozick ( November 16, 1938  &ndash January 23, 2002) was an American Philosopher and Pellegrino University George Gerald Reisman (born January 13 1937) is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Pepperdine University and author of Capitalism

Objectivists are minarchists, who support a night watchman state for the enforcement of contracts. Additionally, Objectivists advocate some form of protection of intellectual property. Intellectual property ( IP) is a legal field that refers to creations of the mind such as musical literary and artistic works inventions and symbols names ^[7]

Some minarchists, such as the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Independent Institute, view that the government should be limited to the management of roads, education vouchers, intellectual property and money. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI is a Non-profit public policy organization founded in 1984 by Fred L The Independent Institute is a Libertarian Think tank based in Oakland California. A school voucher, also called an education voucher, is a certificate issued by the government by which parents can pay for the Education of their children at a Intellectual property ( IP) is a legal field that refers to creations of the mind such as musical literary and artistic works inventions and symbols names ^{[8] [9]}

Even more moderate minarchists such as the Cato Institute and the Chicago School view that government should also intervene in a numerous quantity of regulations including the negative income tax, carbon tax and the Iraq War. The Cato Institute is a Libertarian Think tank headquartered in Washington D In Economics, a negative income tax (abbreviated NIT) is a Progressive income tax system where people earning below a certain amount receive supplemental A carbon tax is an environmental Tax on emissions of Carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse gases It is an example of a pollution tax. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign

Other organizations with minarchist members and supporters include the Reason Foundation, International Society for Individual Liberty^[10] and Bureaucrash. The Reason Foundation is an American nonprofit Think tank founded in 1978 that also publishes Reason magazine.

Criticism

Some libertarians argue that anarcho-capitalism is the only logically consistent form of libertarian belief. Anarcho-capitalism (also known as Free-market anarchism) is an individualist anarchist Political philosophy that advocates the elimination It is also contradictory to state that violence is immoral, yet still maintain violence in the form of a government. Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse The word is used broadly to describe the destructive action of natural phenomena like Storms and Earthquakes Such views are often voiced by "rights libertarians", though consequentialist libertarians may argue that minarchism is more compatible with utilitarian values (in the manner of von Mises or Milton Friedman)

But supporters of minarchism counter that a government could survive on private donations and the creation of trust funds without any form of taxation whatsoever. Consequentialism refers to those moral theories which hold that the consequences of a particular action form the basis for any valid moral judgment about that action Milton Friedman (July 31 1912 November 16 2006 was an American Nobel Laureate Economist and Public intellectual. In Common law legal systems a trust is an arrangement whereby Property (including real tangible and intangible is managed by one person (or persons or organizations Even if a government could be voluntarily funded, then it still amounts to an authority with a monopoly of force over a given area, and as such would dictate and control. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Additionally, some argue that voluntary donations are not enough to support a government to prevent a foreign invasion. The mere existence of government, irrespective of how it is funded, undermines one's self-ownership, since to govern is to control. Self-ownership (or sovereignty of the individual, individual sovereignty or individual autonomy) is the moral or natural right (aka Freedom of a person Minarchists, however, depart here from anarcho-capitalists in philosophical beliefs, believing that the government should indeed be the sole arbiter of force in law and military matters, on the premise that competing law systems would inevitably lead to chaos, where no libertarian principles could possibly reign. However, market anarchists had argued that the sole arbitrator can just be the society itself, instead of a government that is separate from the society. ^[11]

Also, some libertarians believe that the concept of "constitutionally limited government" is a fallacy. A fallacy is a component of an Argument which being demonstrably flawed in its Logic or form renders the argument invalid in whole They argue that the American Founding Fathers' approach of limiting the inherent force linked with government (in respect to the United States Constitution) has not worked. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Founding Fathers are persons instrumental in the establishment of an Institution, usually a political institution especially those connected to the origination of its Ideals In Physics, a force is whatever can cause an object with Mass to Accelerate. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. They claimed that states would inevitable become corrupt.

A number of minarchists state that human beings naturally gravitate towards leaders, hence making anarchism untenable and not viable. As such, they believe that the existence of government is inevitable, and people should only be concerned with limiting the size and scope of the state, rather than opposing its existence. Murray Rothbard denouced this claim by citing that it often took hundreds years for aristocrats to set up a state out of anarchy. ^[12]

More to the point, even if anarchy were in some way commensurate with individual liberties, minarchists often argue that anarchy would be highly inefficient at providing for a stable means of repelling organized aggression from foreign armies. As such anarchies would quickly be replaced by whatever government happened to assert its will via military means. However, Murray Rothbard argued that in anarchy, it would be much harder for foreign invasion to set up a government because there would not be an existing central entity to take control over. ^[12]

Some minarchists believe their approach to be more pragmatic. Pragmatism generally considered to have originated in the late nineteenth century with Charles Peirce, who first stated the Pragmatic maxim. However, Hans Hermann Hoppe has argued that the only form of state that can pragmatically be restrained from expanding is a monarchical (privately owned) state. Hans-Hermann Hoppe (born September 2, 1949) is an Austrian school Economist of the anarcho-capitalist tradition and a former economics ^[13]

Murray Rothbard was a prominent critic of minarchism. Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2 1926 – January 7 1995 was an American economist of the Austrian School who helped define modern Libertarianism As an anarcho-capitalist, he argued that government defence is inefficient. Anarcho-capitalism (also known as Free-market anarchism) is an individualist anarchist Political philosophy that advocates the elimination He criticized libertarian centralists,^[12] who are laissez-faire activists for supporting geographically large, minarchist states. In his book Power and Market, he argued that libertarian centralists support a unified minarchist world monopoly government. Power and Market Government and the Economy is a 1970 book by Murray Rothbard in which he analyzes the negative effects of the various kinds of Government ^[14]

References

See also

• Statism
• Anarchism
• Anarcho-individualism
• Capitalism
• Classical liberalism
• Objectivist philosophy
• Starve the beast

External links

• International Society for Individual Liberty
• Bureaucrash (a project of the Competitive Enterprise Institute)
• Cato Institute
• The ORION Initiative (high IQ minarchists)

Statism (or Etatism) is a very loose and often Derogatory term that is used to describe Specific instances of state intervention in personal social Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Individualist anarchism refers to any of several traditions that hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Classical liberalism (also known as traditional liberalism, Laissez-faire liberalism, Market liberalism or in much of the world Objectivism is a Philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the 20th century that encompasses positions on Metaphysics, Epistemology, "Starving the beast" is a fiscal-political strategy of some American conservatives to use budget deficits via Tax cuts to force future reductions in the The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI is a Non-profit public policy organization founded in 1984 by Fred L

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