Exploring and celebrating the history, theory, and practice of free, prosperous, and tolerant societies.
New Essay
Banneker showed that the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence were not abstract notions but claims that could be asserted and defended by those at the margins of the new republic.
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Videos and Podcasts
One question has always shaped how we live together: who owns what? More importantly, why does a person own anything exclusively? Across centuries, thinkers have offered different justifications for private property.
Some see property as a natural right, others as a path to peace, prosperity, or a limit to government power. Together, they reveal why private property became one of the cornerstones of free societies.
This is the fifth episode of our Learning Hub series about the fundamentals of libertarianism! Subscribe to never miss one of our monthly lessons.
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Featured Collections
Free Trade
Free trade is often discussed as a matter of economics, but at its core it is a story about human cooperation. Open exchange allows millions of people—across borders, cultures, and industries—to coordinate their efforts without central direction or coercion. Through spontaneous order and dispersed knowledge, free trade transforms individual decisions into shared prosperity, proving that complex social cooperation does not require control to succeed.
This collection from Libertarianism.org explores free trade as a moral and civilizing force. It traces how voluntary exchange fosters peace, innovation, and mutual benefit, while trade barriers entrench privilege and limit opportunity. In a time of renewed skepticism toward globalization, these works remind us that trusting people to trade freely remains one of the most powerful engines of human flourishing.
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Freedom of Speech
Free speech is tested most in times of crisis. The assassination of Charlie Kirk reminds us that silencing voices breeds only fear and division. We, the people, must unwaveringly protect each other’s rights. When we stop, we enable the government to chip away at the Constitutional protections our society is built upon. Government attempts to censor and control the responses to this tragedy are misguided. From Milton to Mill to the digital age, the libertarian case is clear: defend speech for all, trust liberty over fear.
Bad speech should be addressed with better speech.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
In many parts of the West, people can mostly develop and hold their own beliefs and express them freely. These liberties, known as Freedom of Conscience and Freedom of Speech, were part of the foundation that helped develop modern societies as we know them. Nonetheless, these interconnected ideas of freedom have historically been under threat, and the struggle to establish and protect these rights stretches over the past two thousand years.
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Just Sentiments
The phrase “just sentiments” highlights the willful and cognitive aspect of sentiment, which is emphasized in Smith’s ethics. The sentiment that someone experiences is influenced by actions he took prior to the experience. And, during the experience, or immediately after it, the person can reflect on his having felt the sentiment. He asks himself: Should I affirm the sentiment? Should I revise it? Should I reject it? The experiencing of a sentiment can be seen as a matter of the will and thus of acting justly. “Just sentiments” suggests one’s responsibility for one’s sentiments.
