Right-Libertarianism vs Left-Libertarianism: Key Differences Explained
How Right-Libertarianism and Left-Libertarianism differ, using sourced definitions and each model’s estimated position on the Atlas’s nine political dimensions.
Definitions
Right-Libertarianism
Libertarianism is a political philosophy that takes individual liberty to be the primary political value. Britannica describes it as a form of liberalism, linked to thinkers such as John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Adam Smith and Thomas Jefferson.
Source: Britannica: Libertarianism
Left-Libertarianism
Libertarianism is a political philosophy that takes individual liberty to be the primary political value. Britannica describes it as a form of liberalism, linked to thinkers such as John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Adam Smith and Thomas Jefferson.
Source: Britannica: Libertarianism
Side by side on the Atlas maps
| Dimension | Right-Libertarianism | Left-Libertarianism | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 79 | 79 | 0 |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 23 | 23 | 0 |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 31 | 31 | 0 |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 9 | 9 | 0 |
Right-Libertarianism is shown as the average of the 10 socialist-family ideologies on the Atlas (including communism itself), because the Atlas has no single “socialism” model.
Map scores are estimates on the Atlas’s scale and can be debated. Read the full pages for Right-Libertarianism and Left-Libertarianism.