# Aren't Libertarians just Anarchists? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 29, 2001, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-libertarians-just-anarchists/78676 "2001-08-29T10:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-libertarians-just-anarchists/78676/1 "2001-08-29T10:26:57Z")
This may belong in the general questions, but I figure if it goes anywhere it’ll end up here, so here it starts… My question is massively uninformed. I don’t know anything about anarchists (was this even a real movement or just an epithet?) And I know little more about libertarians. But my sense is that libertarian is just a nice name for an anarchist - someone who has no use for government whatsoever. Right? wrong? in between? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-libertarians-just-anarchists/78676/2 "2001-08-29T10:36:41Z")
No. Anarchists promote “NO GOVERNMENT!” Libertarians promote “Only _essential_ Government.” Plus, Libertarianism is less popular amongst angst-ridden, disaffected youth, for two reasons: 1. It’s harder to say, and 2. There’s no “Libertarian’s Cookbook” (to my knowledge). ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-libertarians-just-anarchists/78676/3 "2001-08-29T10:44:40Z")
Libertarians would have a working sewer system, Anarchists would not. Which would you rather have? Yeah yeah, overly simplistic. Check these out: > **[Home](https://www.lp.org/)** > > https://www.lp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/LP-Vaccine-Mandate-Ad-v3-1.mp4Take aStand forHealthcare FreedomToday! Donate Now Take a Stand Against Government MandatesDonate Today Previous Next Previous Next Together, we are the Libertarian... [http://www.self-gov.org/](http://www.self-gov.org/) -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-libertarians-just-anarchists/78676/4 "2001-08-29T11:33:08Z")
Anarchists are left-wingers and libertarians right-wingers, on the overall… ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-libertarians-just-anarchists/78676/5 "2001-08-29T12:14:01Z")
Right wingers? Yes, I suppose. Since we advocate the abolition of all drug laws and prohibition laws, all sodomy and anti-gay marriage laws, and all laws against free and open immigration, I can see where you’d say we’re right wing. ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-libertarians-just-anarchists/78676/6 "2001-08-29T13:38:14Z")
There is some overlap between anarchists and libertarians, but they are not the same. An anarchist, by definition, wants no government at all. Some libertarians agree with this, but most want to have some extremely limited government for military, police, and judicial purposes. Libertarians’ beef with government is generally that it initiates force and violence against people, and libertarians are by their own definition opposed to such initiation of force. While some anarchists would agree with this, there is nothing inherent about anarchists that makes them opposed to the initiation of force, and many of the old 19th century and early 20th century anarchists (Sacco and Vanzetti, anyone) considered it quite legitimate to use terrorism against ordinary private citizens regardless of whether their victims had attacked the anarchists first. So some people are both libertarians and anarchists, but the two groups are not necessarily the same