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libertarianism
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John Locke
John Locke The philosopher John Locke, oil on canvas by Herman Verelst, 1689; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

libertarianism

politics
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David Boaz
Executive vice president, Cato Institute, Washington, D.C. Author of Libertarianism: A Primer. Editor of The Libertarian Reader and others.
David Boaz
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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libertarianism, political philosophy that takes individual liberty to be the primary political value. It may be understood as a form of liberalism, classical liberalism in particular, the political philosophy associated with the English philosophers John Locke and John Stuart Mill, the Scottish economist Adam Smith, and the American statesman Thomas Jefferson. Liberalism seeks to define and justify the legitimate powers of government in terms of certain natural or God-given individual rights. These rights include the...

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