Civil libertarianism

Encyclopedia : C : CI : CIV : Civil libertarianism

A civil libertarian is one who is actively concerned with the protection of individual civil liberties and civil rights. These views are most often associated with the political left, and a majority of civil libertarians are left-wing.

Civil libertarians might, for example, argue that the fundamental civil right to self determination means that pornography and drug use should be left to personal choice rather than to the will of lawmakers. In general, they also think that no religious faith should be allowed to impose its beliefs on people who don't share the same principles. This doesn't mean that everything should be made legal; socially disruptive actions and behaviours (homicide, rape, etc.) are not to be left to individual choice. The largest and probably the most prominent civil libertarian organization in the United States is the American Civil Liberties Union.

While a majority of civil libertarians are left-wing, there are also a number of them who are right-wing, and others who support ideologies that combine elements of left and right, such as libertarianism (without the adjective "civil"). On that note, it should be pointed out that the terms "libertarianism" and "libertarian" have been used with a number of different meanings; see libertarianism (disambiguation).

Civil libertarianism

See also