So, You Think You’re a Libertarian?
Then do the Libertarian Purity Test and see just how hardcore you really are!
Created by Bryan Caplan, it is “intended to measure how libertarian you are. It isn’t intended to be any sort of McCarthyite purging device — just a form of entertainment, hopefully thought-provoking. I like it a lot better than the more famous “World’s Shortest Political Quiz” because I haven’t stated the questions with any intent to give an upward bias to a test-taker’s score, and because it gives a clearer breakdown between hard and soft-core libertarians. Enjoy, suggest your friends try it out, and see how you compare to other test-takers…”
So, just how Libertarian are you?
(I scored an even 100 out of a possible 160)
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That’s more of an anarcho-capitalist purity test. If you answer yes to more than a couple of questions in the last section you go way beyond libertarianism. (I got 91 btw, though if I thought about the questions more I’d probably be sligtly sub-90)
I got the full 160 but that’s because I *am* actually an anarcho-capitalist.
I took the test, and I scored 101! Liberty 101. Oh, my fault! I was reading it upside-down!
160 ^.^ I think I’ll probably soften as time goes on, though. Damn youth!
44, because I am a rationalist.
i got 121, was a pretty good test esp. considering it was (obviously) aimed at australians and im in new zealand.
80, medium-core libertarian. The test was pretty accurate for me, as the phrase “Your friends probably encourage you to quit talking about your views so much” sums it up
Raced through the quiz: 95 for me.
Like papachango, I’m not an anarcho-capitalist.
Some questions were too simplistic I thought because they drop context ie: I’d say Yes in some cases and No in other circumstances.
From memory there was nothing on defamation law and intellectual property law. These issues often split libertarians.
Nothing on firearms from memory.
I use ‘Libertarian’ to mean any movement away from big government, so many ‘-isms’ would fit into this label.
85 is about the best I could manage and stay honest. I’d like to be able to say yes to more of them because it’s rationally quite difficult to hold only *some* libertarian views. If you believe that the individual is primary and that there are moral problems with statism then you ought to say yes to almost all of those questions, 1/2 way just doesn’t make sense, you’re still a socialist!
However, the pull of pragmatism is a little too strong for me at the moment.. Maybe I’ll purify as I grow older.
58.
Julian, it’s a US test.
62 for me. The absence of firearms questions is puzzling, as already noted, and some of the questions are very US-centric (the Fed ones for example). Some I would answer differently if I were living in Australia or the US rather than the UK.
[...] the Australian Libertarian Society blog, I came across this rather amusing little exercise in placing oneself on the political spectrum. I [...]
Pingback by skepticlawyer » The Libertarian Purity Test | March 30, 2010
I am a libertarian who embraces minarchism, the idea that local government should be the most powerful component of a political system. As such, I am not against ministates, or micronations. Yet this test seems built to trivialise such beliefs. Boo Hiss!! Down with Yankee oppressors.
Andrews – I knew you were a communist all along.
94. That said all questions that were ‘Yes’ were an emphatic ‘Yes’ but the ‘No’s were generally qualified. I’m hesitant of going the full monty purely out of concern for the near-term culture shock of removing government institutions. I’m sold however on the economic and moral arguments for a stateless society.
I keep getting tripped out in these tests because I think a strong military can be justified on libertarian grounds…
80 for me. Anybody that thinks the monetary base should be frozen is nuts.
Tim – I’m in favour of strong defence measures but that does not mean retention of a large professional military force.
I scored a 95. Dam! Is that a fail? I’m not joining the Libs, so the LDP is stuck with me despite my evidenced lack of libertarianism! ha ha
Terje – you only got an 80? I’m shocked! Communist!
I thought the point score was quite biased towards anarcho-capitalism.
Apparently I am the reincarnation of Lysander Spooner.
I’m the sort who thinks that anarchy may be a good thing to work towards over the next 500 years or so. But I call myself a libertarian. I got 132.
Tim – I’m not shocked. I think it was a dumb test. However at the end of the day I’m far more interested in issues and policies than labels and passing somebodies purity test. If what I believe in is called communism then I’ll live with being a communist.
In terms of anarchy I can quite readily envisage an end to taxation powers but I’m not so convinced about doing away with legislators. I would however lime to change the ground rules under which they operate.
Fermi – they also had a bias towards the Austrian school of economic thought.
79 for me
The worst part about this test is that it’s the same questions 3 times over, I got bored after answering them once each.
BTW what ever happened to the test that John and Myself made up? Is it still hosted anywhere?
Yobbo – yes it is still online. It is here:-
http://www.libertarian.org.au/quiz/
I have for some time pondered a few improvements to this quiz. Details below:-
1. Before each election it would be good to request parliamentary candidates from all parties to answer these questions and allow voters to see where those candidates sit on the chart. People could then find a ready answer to the question “how libertarian is my local candidate”. The green and left groups do this sort of thing all the time. I got heaps of questionairs from interest groups when I was a candidate.
2. It would be good to be able to display the average position of participants and how it moves over time. So for instance are those that happen apon the quiz today on average more or less libertarian than those that happened apon it three years ago.
Disappointingly, I scored 25 which apparantly makes me a “soft-core Libertarian”. As an economic rationalist, I had hoped to be able to avoid being tarred by the Libertarian moniker altogether.
Come off it. If you’re a utilitarian and believe we should have our traditional legal rights defended, there is practically nothing else you can call yourself.