What Is Left-Libertarianism?
Left-libertarianism, also known as left-wing libertarianism, is a political philosophy and type of libertarianism that stresses both individual freedom and social equality. Part of the Libertarian family.
Definition
Left-libertarianism, also known as left-wing libertarianism, is a political philosophy and type of libertarianism that stresses both individual freedom and social equality.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Left-libertarianism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Self-ownership and civil liberty.
- Egalitarian ownership of land and natural resources.
- Skepticism of state and corporate power.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Hillel Steiner, Peter Vallentyne
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Left-Libertarianism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 48 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 17 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 17 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 24 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 13 | strongly toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 29 | toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 30 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 24 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 19 | toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 5 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 15 | strongly toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 23 | toward free market |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 13 | strongly toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 12 | strongly toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Major industries should be publicly owned rather than privately controlled. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Businesses should generally set prices without government intervention. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Mutualism, Left-Libertarianism sits 5 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Market Socialism, Left-Libertarianism sits 14 points further toward non-intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Communalism, Left-Libertarianism sits 22 points further toward market on the economic dimension.
Comparisons
Right-Libertarianism vs Left-Libertarianism
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Left-Libertarianism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Left-libertarianism
- Wikipedia: Left-Libertarianism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Libertarianism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.