What is the difference between a right-libertarian and a left-libertarian?

[Michael P]

Also, could someone give me names of people who are examples of both?

[patchouli4279]

A right libertarian would be like Ron Paul. A strict constitutionalist whom is moderate on social issues.

A left libertarian would be supportive of liberal social issues such as a repeal of all drug laws. Ralp Nader and Green party members tend to be more of a left leaning libertarian type group.

[Mark D]

A right-libertarian is someone who places most emphasis on economic issues. He/she believes that government regulates too many business practices and argues that businesses would prosper more if they were less regulated. Minimum wage laws are not needed just like many other kind of "worker protections" are either not needed or go too far. The right-wing libertarian is also opposed to gun control.

The left-libertarian is someone who places emphasis on virtually all of the non-economic issues. He/she believes that government should not ban abortion, should not ban or try to regulate the sex-life of consenting adults (i.e., "sodomy"), and should not ban doctor-assisted suicide. They believe that all of these issues and many others like them are not the "business" of government to regulate.

In the early 20th Century, the U.S. Supreme Court was dominated by right-wing libertarians. On four separate occasions they struck down minimum wage laws. One two occasions they effectively declared that business-owners have a constitutional right to prevent their employees from joining labor unions. They also struck down a number of other regulations of business practices.

Later, in the second-half of the 20th Century, the Court turned toward the left-wing version of libertarianism. The Court has struck down laws regulating contraceptives, banning abortion, and more recently, law banning "sodomy."

Neither brand of libertarianism should be inferred from the Constitution, though. The Court got all of those decisions wrong.

[clore333]

Both kinds of libertarian oppose the state. They range from anarchists (no state) to minarchists (minimal state). On the left they have a fuzzy boundary with social-democrats, and on the right they have a fuzzy boundary with conservatives.

Left-libertarians worry the most about statism that hurts the poor and the environment, and that favors the rich and corporations. They oppose capitalism and favor collective and cooperative solutions, such as labor unions and workers cooperatives. The less libertarian among them may favor government interference in the economy to help the poor.

Right-libertarians tend to worry most about statism that hinders free-market capitalism. They favor economic competition. The less libertarian among them may favor state interference in the economy on behalf of corporations and oppose abortion.

Left-libertarians include Peter Kropotkin, Emma Goldman, Gandhi, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Ralph Nader.

Right-libertarians include Frederic Bastiat, Benjamin Tucker, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, Ayn Rand, and Milton Friedman.