Libertarianism is a political ideology that emphasizes individual liberty. It believes that individual liberty will bring about human flourishing. One of its core principles, the non aggression principle (NAP) holds that no person or institution can initiate force or fraud against another. Legitimate coercion must be restrained to defending equal rights to life, liberty, and property. Other policy commitments include; limited government, free-market exchange, and broad civil liberties (speech, privacy, association, and migration).

The modern libertarian movement draws from enlightenment liberals (John Locke, Adam Smith) through twentieth-century economists and philosophers such as F.A Hayek (The Road to Serfdom) and Milton Friedman (Capitalism and Freedom, 1962). Libertarianism influences debates on technology regulation, monetary policy, and foreign intervention.

F.A. Hayek

Milton Friedman