There are basically three levels of libertarianism. We all tend to have our own ideas about different things and our own thoughts because we are just a bunch free-thinkers in comparison to the sheeple of the Left. Anyway, these three levels are generally anarcho-capitalism, as developed by Murray Rothbard, minarchism, which is equivalent to what the Articles of Confederation outlined, and constitutionalism, which the desire for the literal interpretation of the United States Constitution.
No single libertarian will fall exactly into each category. In fact, from what I can tell, many are more than accepting of each level, despite their own personal preferences. Each one has it’s merit and each one brings interesting ideas to the table. In my view, if you follow the different levels, you can see a possible progression that can incrementally lead us to a better system of governance.
Constitutionalism is the belief that the Federal government needs to completely adhere to the limits imposed upon them by the United States Constitution. Most libertarians fall into this at least this category. They question the overbearing Federal government and they lament the largely expanded role of government in the lives of the individual. Many conservatives I have encountered on forums will have you believe that they are in this category as well, but they largely are not. This is because if you question any expansion of Federal government power that is done in the name of security, you are usually labeled pro-terrorist or something. It’s completely idiotic the way some of these so-called conservatives behave. I remember when I questioned the constitutionality of an agreement made between Canadian and American militaries without Senate approval or Bush’s say-so. I was called a conspiracy kook and told that I didn’t know what I was talking about. Needless to say, they didn’t convince me of their point.
Minarchism is the belief that all governments serve a necessary function in deterring individuals from crime (where crime is the taking of life, liberty, or property through force or fraud) and some level of national defense, but that’s about it. The United States Constitution goes a little too far in allowing certain loopholes for tyranny to exist, such as eminent domain and interstate commerce regulation, and so some things may need to be changed. By and large, a government is still intact and governs least. Objectivists would fall into this category, although they had being called libertarian, by and large, so I will honor their wishes. The overarching point is that while there is some necessity for a single institution to have a limited monopoly on violence, individuals will still be free to choose their own way and do whatever it is they want, provided it is honest and peaceful.
Anarcho-capitalism (not to be confused with arachno-capitalism) is the idea of no government and every supposed need provided by government is instead provided by the private market at a competitive price. I have to admit, this one seemed unreasonable at first, but after reading up on many of the ideas purported by this ideology, I have to say that I find it agreeable and workable, provided the right conditions were established in the hearts of men. Unfortunately, the vision does seem a bit Utopian to me, but I am still willing to hear them out. Basically, this ideology is the opposite of the more classical anarchism which was a Leftist movement. In contrast, anarcho-capitalism stresses the individual as the only sovereign and that any force inflicted upon for any reason is unacceptable and the gravest of sins. I have to be honest, I don’t know a whole lot about this ideology, as it has been largely underground until the rise of the Internet, and because I attended government skools rather than a decent private school. Still, I do hope to read up on this as much as I can in my lifetime.
As you can see, each of these ideologies emphasizes less and less government. And just about every libertarian draws his or her ideas from some level of each. There are many intersections and overlaps, but these are probably the three core beliefs of libertarians. I personally would fall somewhere between minarchist and constitutionalist on most things, but I would like to see anarcho-capitalism working. Still, I think the best I can hope for is that the United States Constitution is restored to its proper place as the supreme law of the land and not some piece of paper that everyone seems to ignore these days.