Definitions and core principles
Libertarianism, as described across episodes of The Bob Zadek Show, is a political philosophy centered on individual decision-making and skepticism of government coercion. Jeff Miron, identified as Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University, described the libertarian view as resting on respect for individual decisions and the ability of people to make reasonable choices for themselves, combined with suspicion of government’s ability to make people better by coercing individuals into doing things they do not want to do America’s Student Loan Problem (2012). Miron stated that the libertarian view does not align well with standard Republican views or standard Democratic views, noting that libertarians are against drug prohibition, tolerant of gay marriage, and against severe restrictions on abortion. He characterized liberals and conservatives as fundamentally similar in being authoritarians who have views on the right way for people to run their lives and want to impose that on people, whereas libertarians want to let people choose for themselves.
Walter Block, identified as a professor of economics at Loyola University New Orleans, offered a complementary definition, stating that libertarianism is not about morality but is a narrow philosophical perspective focused only on what just law should be How the Free Market Will Save the Planet (2014). Block distinguished his personal conservative morality—he stated he does not use marijuana, heroin, prostitution, or pornography and would not want his daughter to be a prostitute or his son to do drugs—from the libertarian question of what the law should be. He summarized just law as consisting of the non-aggression principle, which he rendered as keeping your hands off other people and their property unless you have their permission.
David Boaz, identified as Executive Vice President of the Cato Institute and author of The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom, described libertarianism as a political philosophy rather than a complete philosophy of life or an ethical guide to how to live David Boaz on The Libertarian Mind (2015). Boaz stated that libertarianism is the philosophy of freedom and is about the relationship between the individual and the state, holding that people should be free to live their lives any way they choose so long as they respect the equal rights of others. He summarized the rule libertarianism proposes for living together in kindergarten terms: do not hit other people, do not take their stuff, and keep your promises. Boaz noted that different libertarians come to the philosophy in different ways—some through belief in individual rights, others through studying economics and concluding that respecting property rights and market exchange produces a well-functioning and growing economy.
The non-aggression principle and property rights
Block described the non-aggression principle as one half of libertarianism, stating that it means you cannot force or threaten violence against anyone else or their property, and that anything between consenting adults is legitimate How the Free Market Will Save the Planet (2014). Bob Zadek, the host, extended the principle to government, stating that the “you” in the principle includes not only individuals acting alone but individuals acting collectively through government, and that no entity, whether acting under color of government or as an individual, has the just right to interfere with another’s enjoyment of their person or property. Block responded that this position constitutes anarcho-capitalism or very radical libertarianism, and that libertarianism is a house of many rooms, with some libertarians—minarchists or minimal government libertarians—exempting government and allowing some exceptions. Block stated that he and Zadek are radical libertarians who would say there are no exceptions, and that no one, whether individuals or robber gangs or governments operating under color of government, should invade anyone else.
Block identified property rights as the other half of libertarianism, explaining that determining whether grabbing a hat constitutes initiated violence depends on who owns the hat How the Free Market Will Save the Planet (2014). He stated that the theory of property rights he adheres to, following John Locke and Murray Rothbard, holds that you own yourself, you own any part of nature or natural resources that you homestead or mix your labor with, and you own anything else you achieve through voluntary means such as buying and selling, gifts, and gambling. He gave the example that if he clears land and grows corn and another domesticates cows, each owns their product, but through trade each can own what the other produced, traceable back to voluntary action and homesteading of initial resources.
Zadek described homesteading as assuming virgin land not owned by anybody, where adding labor to land that does not belong to anyone else acquires ownership by adding value through one’s own labor How the Free Market Will Save the Planet (2014). He noted that homesteading does not get created much anymore because land is mostly accounted for, though Block corrected him by 1 percent, noting that virgin land still exists at the top of some mountains in Wyoming or Alaska, and certainly the moon and Mars and the oceans. Zadek stated that once one signs on to the non-aggression principle and the importance of private property, almost any political question can be comfortably answered, and that the answer reached is one most would be comfortable with, producing natural rather than bizarre results.
Libertarianism and American politics
Boaz stated that libertarianism is a political philosophy and not a complete philosophy of life, and that it does not have much to say about how you should treat your wife or business partners except to not use coercion against them David Boaz on The Libertarian Mind (2015). Zadek responded that this exception is a big one, and that if one only lives by that rule, one is not doing badly. Boaz described libertarianism as the philosophy of freedom, about the relationship between the individual and the state, holding that people should be free to live their lives any way they choose so long as they respect the equal rights of others. Zadek characterized this as a social philosophy describing how people ought to live in a community, with clear implications for the political system but not per se an economic system. Boaz agreed, noting that different libertarians come to the philosophy through different routes—some through individual rights, some through economics—and that those coming from a philosophical point of view believe it is wrong to treat human beings as merely means and not ends, and wrong to use force to require other people to make choices they would not otherwise make.
Zadek stated that libertarianism is a moral, economic, and ethical philosophy with a rich philosophical history, and that most of the founders were probably not self-identified—the word was not used then—but were libertarian-ish or libertarian in their own thinking as they drafted, negotiated, and ultimately adopted the American Constitution David Boaz on The Libertarian Mind (2015). He stated that this would mean the country was founded at its core on libertarian principles.
Boaz described three purposes for writing The Libertarian Mind: to give libertarians a deeper understanding of their own philosophy, to provide a book libertarians would want to give to friends and family members expressing interest in understanding libertarianism, and to reach millions of Americans who are basically libertarian or more libertarian than consistently liberal or conservative David Boaz on The Libertarian Mind (2015). He noted that half of Americans tell pollsters they consider themselves fiscally conservative and socially liberal, which he characterized as a weak kind of libertarianism but people saying they do not quite fit into the conservative Republican box or the liberal Democrat box. He described these as people who believe in a dynamic, growing economy and think gay marriage is fine, who think government taxes too much and do not see why people are put in jail for smoking marijuana, and stated that tens of millions of such Americans should think of themselves as part of the broad libertarian group.
Zadek noted that when he discussed libertarianism on his first show seven and a half years earlier, the concept was less well known than it is today, and that libertarianism now appears in the media all the time when seven years ago it appeared almost never David Boaz on The Libertarian Mind (2015). He recalled a caller who thanked him and said he did not know what he was until he heard the show, and stated that more and more people naturally seem to identify as libertarians, as if they have found a philosophical home, having had the beliefs but not knowing how to describe them or what political bucket they fit in.
Across episodes
The excerpts show a consistent treatment of libertarianism’s core principles across episodes from 2012, 2014, and 2015, with no development or change in the argument between earlier and later treatments. Jeff Miron in 2012 emphasized individual decision-making and suspicion of government coercion; Walter Block in 2014 grounded the philosophy in the non-aggression principle and property rights; David Boaz in 2015 described it as a political philosophy of freedom governing the relationship between the individual and the state. The main difference between treatments is the degree of radicalism: Block and Zadek identified themselves as radical libertarians who exempt no entity, including government, from the non-aggression principle, while Block acknowledged that minarchists or minimal government libertarians would exempt government and allow exceptions.
What the sources do not cover
The excerpts do not provide a comprehensive history of libertarian thought, nor do they discuss the Libertarian Party’s electoral activities or platform in detail. The sources do not address specific policy debates beyond those mentioned—drug prohibition, gay marriage, abortion restrictions, student loans, environmental regulation, the light bulb ban, and the corporate income tax—nor do they explore criticisms of libertarianism from outside the tradition. The excerpts also do not cover the internal diversity of libertarian thought beyond the minarchist–anarcho-capitalist distinction Block mentions.