What Is Right-Libertarianism?
Right-libertarianism, also known as libertarian capitalism or right-wing libertarianism, is a libertarian political philosophy that supports capitalist property rights and market distribution of natural resources. Part of the Libertarian family.
Definition
Right-libertarianism, also known as libertarian capitalism or right-wing libertarianism, is a libertarian political philosophy that supports capitalist property rights and market distribution of natural resources.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Right-libertarianism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Strong private property rights.
- Free markets and voluntary exchange.
- Minimal or no state.
Origins
20th-century American libertarian movement.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Murray Rothbard, Robert Nozick, Ayn Rand
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Right-Libertarianism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 93 | strongly toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 30 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 17 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 40 | near the center | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 13 | strongly toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 94 | strongly toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 26 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 40 | near the center |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 35 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 9 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 60 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 9 | strongly toward free market |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 13 | strongly toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 20 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | 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 |
| Reducing the gap between rich and poor should be a major government goal. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Paid sick leave and paid parental leave should be guaranteed by law. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Minarchism, Right-Libertarianism sits 5 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Anarcho-Capitalism, Right-Libertarianism sits 9 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Voluntaryism, Right-Libertarianism sits 10 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy 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 Right-Libertarianism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Right-libertarianism
- Wikipedia: Right-Libertarianism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Libertarianism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.