Different Reasons to Call Oneself a Libertarian

Some call themselves utilitarian libertarians because they believe that unconditional respect for individual liberty leads to the production of the greatest number of goods for the greatest number of people. Some call themselves deontological libertarians because they believe that individual liberty is the most fundamental of natural rights. Some call themselves eudaimonist libertarians because they believe that only unconditional respect for individual liberty allows for the unhampered development of intellectual and moral virtues. Some call themselves contractarian libertarians because they believe that only voluntary interactions are contractual, and only contractual interactions are mutually beneficial. And some call themselves intuitionist libertarians because they believe that unconditional respect for individual liberty embodies the most mundane and platitudinous common sense, consistent with our most ordinary notions of interpersonal decency.

Meanwhile, I call myself a libertarian because I believe that all of the above approaches complement and reinforce one another, thus bringing out the fundamental significance of individual liberty in the most complete manner.