From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Strain of political thought
Civil libertarianism
is a strain of
political thought
that supports
civil liberties
and rights
, or which emphasizes the supremacy of
individual rights
and
personal freedoms
over and against any kind of authority (such as a
state
, a
corporation
, social norms imposed through
peer pressure
and so on).
[1]
In the libertarian movement
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]
In the domain of
libertarian
philosophy, the primary concern of civil libertarians is the relationship between government and individuals. In theory, civil libertarians seek to restrict this relationship to an absolute minimum in which the state can function and provide basic services and securities without excessively interfering in the lives of its citizens. One key cause of civil libertarianism is upholding
free speech
.
Specifically, civil libertarians oppose bans on
hate speech
and obscenity.
Although they may or may not personally condone behaviors associated with these issues, civil libertarians hold that the advantages of unfettered public discourse outweigh any disadvantages, and that the coercion of speech is inherently wrong.
Other civil libertarian positions may include support for full or partial
legalization of illicit substances
,
prostitution
,
privacy
,
assisted dying
or
euthanasia
, the
right to keep and bear arms
,
youth rights
,
topfree equality
,
separation of church and state
, full or partial opposition to
involuntary commitment
and
outpatient commitment
, and support for
same-sex marriage
.
[
citation needed
]
With the advent of
personal computers
, the
Internet
,
email
,
cell phones
and other advancements in information technology, a subset of civil libertarianism has arisen that focuses on protecting individuals'
digital rights
and
privacy
.
[
citation needed
]
See also
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References
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Citations
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Works cited
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