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This glossary was developed to facilitate fruitful discussion by eliminating the confused use and emotional baggage of important terms and making distinctions with terms and phrases. Before engaging in political, philosophical or other potentially emotionally charged dialogue, simply announce that your use of terms is based on this glossary, and encourage your fellow debaters to do the same.

Glossary terms that are used to define other glossary terms are linked to their definitions. Establish links to the glossary terms in your own on-line text to avoid having to include constraint or clarification phrases in your text.

Use the Find (magnifying glass) button on your browser to locate the term of interest to you. This is a work in-progress. Feel free to suggest additions and changes to me.

Although some libertarians would disagree with some of these definitions, "Libertarian Glossary" seems to be the most appropriate name for it. A debate about the definitions will either resolve into accepted definitions and end some lingering confusion among libertarians, or the name will be changed.

Adult - Sentient being capable of expressing choice and compensating for damage done to the person or property of others caused by that being or its property. Owns at least itself. May petition to be a guardian of a baby or child. May be a parent.

Altruism - Falsehood. In reality altruism is the use of one's labor or wealth to solicit love or admiration from beneficiaries or observers. Even Mother Theresa would not have helped people if they spat in her face. Altruists simply prefer love to money for services performed.

Anarchist - Libertarian who believes that government is unnecessary.

Animal - Non-sentient being. Properly owned for its own protection.

Automobile - Mass transit device. Often used for commercial purposes like trucks.

Baby - Sentient being incapable of expressing choice or owning property. Post-birth pre-child progeny, normally 0-1 years old, but may be much older if mentally incapacitated to the degree that they function as a child.

Bi-sexual - Person who enjoys intimate contact with either sex.

Birth - Occurs when progeny is fist introduced into its adult environment, free from any supporting amniotic fluid or equivalent, and free of any umbilical cord or other direct source of sustenance, natural or artificial.

Bureaucrat - Any member (employee) of a government (e.g. Environmental Protection Agency) or quasi-government organization (e.g. United States Postal Service). Usually an adult who is preoccupied with security and safety, and who believes everyone shares their concerns. "Return On Investment" is a foreign concept or of no concern to them. Bureaucrats are often both arrogant and stupid in the extreme. Civil service attracts people with such proclivities or converts them once they are part of the system. The managers and employees of businesses that primarily contract with government often develop the same traits.

Bus - Big empty box that drives around obstructing automobiles and trucks at taxpayer's and consumer's expense. Often is required to stop at all railroad crossings to increase exposure to trains.

Capitalism - The creation of wealth by way of competitive trade and specialization. Often inappropriately used as a misnomer for mercantilism.

Child - Sentient being capable of expressing choice, but incapable of owning property other than itself. Post-baby pre-adult progeny, normally 1-18 years old, but may be much older if mentally or physically incapacitated to the degree that they function as a child. (One year old is traditional age of viability). Includes "teenager," "young adult," etc. May petition for a different guardian.

Civil Rights - Rights granted by government.

Classic Liberal- Libertarian.

Coercivist - A person who believes that people are generally bad and must be controlled by them, people like them or supernatural beings to avoid social chaos. Tends to centralize power in government and seek to control it. Communists, Democrats, Fascists, Greens, Leftists, Liberals, Republicans, Rightists and Socialists are coercivists.

Communist - A coercivist who believes that all human endeavor should be devoted to the collective people. Accordingly attempts to own all means of production. Seeks cooperation.

Compensation - Services performed to repair damaged persons or property, or commodities determined to be of equivalent replacement value. Victims of trespass, damage, theft, fraud or irresponsibility are entitled to compensation.

Conception - The act of combining the genetic codes of the opposite sexes of a species without artificially affecting gene expression. Can be achieved without sexual intercourse.

Conservative - A person who believes that law should guide people rather than adapt to them. A coercivist who seeks to control the personal activity of people by way of government force. Seeks conformity.

Constitution - A contract between adults by which the services and powers of those elected or hired as government employees are specified. The Constitution for the United States of America was predicated on the Declaration of Independence, which declared natural rights (life, liberty, property, self-defense, etc.) to exist before government. Government was to be instituted to protect natural rights. The Constitution employed the concept of 'balance of powers' to limit for nearly 150 years the growth of government size, cost, power and abuse.

Corporation - Business organization that trades its freedom of operation for limited liability.

Cult - Once constrained to describe an organization whose members are physically or mentally controlled by a charismatic leader. Now any organization despised for being different, e.g. Christians, Puritans, Pilgrims, Branch Davidians. The term is often used to demean people targeted for arrest, incarceration, incineration or assassination by government.

Daylight Savings Time - A way to get millions of people to waste their time and risk themselves on ladders changing every time device (wall clock, watch, computer clock, time clock, irrigation timer, TV, VCR, clock radio, etc.) twice annually, instead of simply adjusting the alarm time on alarm clocks to be appropriate for annual daylight variations or coordination with other people. Like holidays and time zones, it encourages group-think.

Decision - Economic choice.

Defense- Adults and children may defend their property from trespass, damage or theft with lethal force if necessary. They may contract with their children and other adults for warning, defense or property recovery services.

Democracy - Form of government in which a stampeded majority tramples individual rights.

Democrat - Liberal

Dollar - Spanish silver dollar ("Pieces of Eight"), 371.2 grains of silver.

Eminent Domain - The method by which the politically connected acquire the property of others below market value.

Fascist - A coercivist who believes that all human endeavor should be devoted to the state. Accordingly seeks to regulate all means of production. Seeks power.

Father - Male genetic contributor to a progeny. Normally protects and nurtures mother during pregnancy and progeny after birth.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - Once a respected independent investigative agency of the Executive Branch of the federal government, it has become an extension of the Executive in power (president). Better known as the "Federal Bureau of Inquisition," it seldom punishes and often rewards agents who fabricate evidence, destroy evidence, lie or murder innocent Americans (Ruby Ridge, Waco, etc.)

Force - The act of constraining choice. Only justified in the defense of property.

Fractional Reserve Banking - Method of creating money by loaning more into circulation that exists on deposit. Currently only 2.5% of the value of deposits must in fact be on deposit should anyone wish to withdraw their funds. Eight Federal Reserve Notes can be loaned for every one deposited in a member bank. The practice originated in the 1600's in Italy by the DeBanco goldsmiths. They issued script for gold on deposit in excess of what in fact existed. Bought town and named it after themselves. The value of script depreciated accordingly after they acquired all the assets.

Fraud - Breaking a promise. Misrepresentation of the quality, functionality, endurance or other characteristic of property for sale or rent. The owner of property purchased or rented under fraudulent circumstances is entitled to repair or replacement of the misrepresented property and any damage caused by the property due to its misrepresentation.

Free - Unrestricted choice.

Freedom - State of being free.

Freethinker - A person who believes that thought should not be impeded by religious or government dogma.

General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) - Tariff reduction based on multilateralism.

Government - An organization granted the power to initiate force to compel compliance with law as well as use force in the defense of life, liberty and property. Cannot create wealth. In order for government to dispense money, products or services, it must steal them from someone. It must tax now or in the future (borrow or sell interest bearing bonds), debase money or seize private property. The only thing that distinguishes a group of adults called 'government' from any other group of adults is the ability of government to compel payment for its services. Unchecked, the ability to tax and compel performance attracts wealth and power to those who govern. They are invariably corrupted, and use their power for their personal benefit or the benefit of favored friends.

Green - A coercivist who believes that all human endeavor should be devoted to the environment. Accordingly attempts to regulate all human and business activity. Seeks the womb.

Guardian - Adult who has accepted responsibility for a baby or child. Includes what is commonly known as "adoptive parent."

Heterosexual reproduction - Conception achieved by way of sexual intercourse.

Holiday - A date important for its significance to a group of people. Often established by religions or governments to facilitate mass conditioning and encouraged by card companies to increase sales. A way for bored people to punctuate the passage of time. An excuse to party or behave unconventionally.

Homosexual - Person who prefers intimate contact with the same rather than the opposite sex.

Human Rights - Life, liberty and property.

Integrity - The only thing that can't be taken from you.

Kill - Forceful termination of a living thing.

Law - Agreement to protect life, liberty and property from injury, theft or fraud. (See "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat.)

Law perverted - Law used to injure, steal or defraud life, liberty and property.

Lawful - Consistent with a Constitution.

Left - Relatively liberal.

Leftist - Left-leaning

Legal - Having the appearance of being lawful, but may in fact be unlawful.

Liberal Democrat - Socialist

Liberal - Once meant a person who believed in the basic good of people and that laws should adapt to them. Now means a coercivist who controls the economic activity of people by way of government force. Seeks love.

Libertarian - A person who believes in libertarianism, i.e. that people are generally good and should be free to act in their own self-interest as long as their actions do not impede the equal right of others to pursue their self-interest. If a person defrauds, steals or damages the property of others, they must compensate the victim accordingly. Libertarians are voluntarists who believe it is wrong to initiate force, and that government, an instrument of force, should be limited to the protection of life, liberty and property. In short, whoever makes a mess is responsible for removing it or compensating those who do. Seeks freedom.

Liberty - Freedom.

Love - Pleasurable feeling biologically induced to encourage mating. Often used in evaluating the economic value of a relationship.

Market - A place where time, usually in the form of products is voluntarily exchanged for the mutual benefit of the traders

Mass transit - Automobiles

Mercantilism - The practice of gaining competitive advantage by way of government privilege. Often masquerades as "capitalism."

Mercantilist - One who seeks competitive advantage through government intervention in (perversion of) the market place.

Money - A representation of the duration and quality of a person's endeavor. As a unit of account, medium of exchange and store of wealth, money usually takes the form of a valued commodity. The commodity is sufficiently rare that small amounts of it can be exchanged for large amounts of other commodities. Ideally it resists deterioration and is divisible into smaller amounts that can be recombined into larger amounts without loss. The Nobel metals like gold and platinum fulfill all of these criteria. Silver is often used when gold is not available in sufficient quantity for the economic activity. When substituted for gold or used in conjunction with gold, silver has been used to reduce loan costs, i.e. inflate. Paper script could be acceptable as money if it were fully redeemable in the commodity it represents and the commodity existed on account in sufficient quantity to cover all of the script. Unfortunately, the ease with which script can be created has repeatedly proven too great a temptation for governments to resist. For this reason, script fails to be a store of wealth. Script unassociated with a commodity, e.g. Federal Reserve Notes have no intrinsic value. People must be compelled to use it (Legal Tender laws) and it must be forcibly extracted (taxed) from the economy fast enough to artificially maintain its value at tolerable levels of inflation.

Mono-sexual - Person who prefers intimate contact with itself.

Mother - Female genetic contributor to a progeny. Normally carries potential progeny in her womb where it is nurtured (umbilical) until birth, whence she nurtures it externally (breast feeding).

Murder - Forceful termination of a sentient being initiated by another sentient being.

Natural Predator - Any predator or natural phenomena (volcano, hurricane, ocean) that could cause injury or death to organisms, particularly when exposed to stupid humans, (e.g. cliff, rip-tide, frozen lake).

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - "Quintessential managed-trade vehicle sold under the rubric of free trade... 54 words in the U.S. Constitution established free trade among the states of the Union, NAFTA weighs in at over 2,000 pages, 900 of which are tariff rates. (Under true free trade, there is one tariff rate ñ 0 percent.)"

Owner - Adult responsible for and beneficiary of the property it owns. Owners are responsible for any adverse effect their property my have on the property of others. Owners may defend their property with lethal means.

Parent - Adult that has derived progeny from its genes. Inherently responsible for a baby or child unless relieved by a guardian. Often pre-arranges guardianship (godfather, godmother) for their babies and children in the event of their premature demise.

People - Members of the sentient species called "human," some of whom are stupid.

Person - Individual member of a sentient species. May be baby, child or adult, regardless of sex, sexual preference or sexuality. A person owns himself or herself. Their body is their property.

Philanthropy - See Altruism. Often used as a bribe to control the action of the alleged beneficiaries.

Pollution - The trespass of the property of one person onto or into the person or property of another person.

Potential Progeny - Combined genetic codes, e.g. ovum, fetus. Not sentient until brain patterns match that of those of its kind. As the potential progeny develops in the womb of the female, the investment of the female increases relative to that of the male. This investment disparity may be brought to nearly par if all of that consumed or used by the progeny is provided by the male. However, the discomfort and risk to life of the pregnant female gives her controlling interest in the potential progeny. The controlling interest and responsibility may be altered according to the percentage of development that occurs outside the womb of the female, or by a valid contract to which both parents and any third party (female who provides womb for free or fee with or without providing genetic material, male who provides genetic material) are signatories.

Prejudice - Irrational attitude toward someone unknown.

Price - Best communicator of need.

Procreation - The act of life begetting life of its own kind as opposed to creating life of other kinds. Although asexual reproduction is performed by non-human life forms, cloning is possible, and other forms of reproduction may arise, only human reproduction is addressed here.

Progeny - Genetic result of the mating of two adults of the opposite sex and cultural result of their rearing. Unless there is a valid contract to the contrary, immediately upon conception each parent has equal responsibility for and ownership of their progeny. Those who abuse or fail to educate their progeny are known as stupid humans.

Production - The process by which the value of property is increased, usually through the refinement of a form of property or its combination with other forms of property.

Profit - Best measure of environmentally benign social benefit

Property - Anything non-sentient than can be owned and traded, includes land, minerals, products, animals, light, sound, waste and self. Basis for peaceful interaction. Best way to avoid conflict, resolve conflict and protect the environment.

Predator - Any organism that inflicts harm on other organisms.

Racism - The perverse ability of some people to hate people they don't know.

Railroad Crossing - An intersection where automobiles, trucks and busses stop and trains don't. Collisions are minimized by traveling through the intersection as fast as possible, minimizing exposure to trains. Collisions are maximized by stopping at such intersections, then slowly accelerating through them, increasing the time in the intersection and the possibility of stalling in the intersection. Also known as a stupid human predator.

Redistribution of Wealth - Forced transfer of property from those who earned or made it to others. Those who feel that voluntary contributions to their favorite charity are insufficient may use government to force others to contribute.

Relationship - Casual or implied contract between individuals evaluating a contractual relationship like marriage.

Republican - Conservative.

Right - Relatively conservative.

Rightist - Right-leaning

Sex - Genetically male or female regardless of physical appearance, sexual preference or sexuality. Determined upon conception.

Sexual preference - Proclivity regarding intimate contact. Research indicates that it is determined by chemical exposure while in womb. Relative high levels of testosterone tend to induce homosexuality.

Sexuality - Mode of sexual expression. Either aggressive (penetrating) or submissive (receiving).

Socialist - A coercivist who believes that government should be used to hobble business and forcibly redistribute wealth. Accordingly attempts to regulate all economic activity. Seeks uniformity.

Society - Useless abstraction. Often used to obfuscate or blur the distinctive actions of individuals.

Specialization - The development of superior traits or skills which enable more efficient or higher rate production. Often sacrifices the ability to do other things, because they are done better by others. Creates interdependence.

Stupid Human - Any human who is too stupid or complacent to care for themselves or their progeny or avoid natural or stupid human predators and must be protected and nurtured by smart humans to survive.

Stupid Human Predator - Any natural predator and anything created by humans (gun, knife, automobile, lawn mower, drug, bungee jumping, etc.) that results in injury or death when improperly used by stupid humans.

Theft - Relocation or use of property without the consent of its owner. May be resisted with lethal force. Includes normally incident solar radiation. The owner of stolen property may seek compensation for the cost of locating, recovering and repairing stolen property, the replacement of stolen property not recovered and any damage that occurred during the theft. The owner of the stolen property is not responsible for any damage to the property of the thief that occurred because of the theft.

Time Zones - Ridiculous partitioning of planet surface into 24-hour day when those who need to coordinate their activities simply need to agree on a time based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Confuses travelers. Like Daylight Savings Time, encourages group-think by establishing "normal" wake and sleep periods.

Trade - Voluntary exchange of property. Its freedom is essential for broad specialization and the wealth derived from it.

Trespass - Unwelcome movement of the property of one person onto the property of another. Includes air (second-hand smoke), water, light and sound pollution as well as persons, trash, children, pets and their feces. The owner of the violated property may seek compensation for the cost of finding and notifying the owners of trespassing property as well as the cost of damage mitigation and the actual damages caused by trespassing property. The owner of trespassed property is not responsible for any damage to trespassing property.

Truck - Vehicle most often used to transport commodities. Delaying trucks increases commodity prices.

Twelve-hour day (AM/PM) - Method of introducing confusion. Encourages the mis-setting of alarm clocks. Provides excuse for missed meetings.

Twenty-four-hour day (00:00 - 24:00) - Practical method of partitioning a day, particularly when based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Voluntarist - A person who believes that people are generally good and will spontaneously self-organize for their mutual as well as personal benefit. Libertarians and many Freethinkers are voluntarists.

Wealth - Accumulation of property.

Zoning - The method by which the politically connected control the property of others at no expense to themselves.

Coined by Donald J. Boudreaux, President of The Foundation for Economic Freedom in the August 1997 issue of "The Freeman."

Robert Batemarco, "Why Managed trade Is Not Free Trade," The Foundation for Economic Freedom in the August 1997 issue of "The Freeman."