Results for civil libertarian
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Dictionary:

civil libertarian


n.

One who is actively concerned with the protection of the fundamental rights guaranteed to the individual by law: “Civil libertarians tend to assume such tests must be an illegal invasion of privacy” (Larry Martz).


 
 
Word Tutor: civil libertarian
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: adj. - Having or showing concern for human rights and freedoms under law.

 
WordNet: civil-libertarian
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has one meaning:

Meaning #1: having or showing active concern for protection of civil liberties protected by law


 
Wikipedia: civil libertarianism


Civil libertarianism is a strain of political thought that emphasizes the supremacy of individual rights and personal freedoms over and against any kind of authority (this may refer to the government, a corporation, social norms imposed through peer pressure, etc). Civil libertarianism is not a complete ideology; rather, it is merely a collection of views on the specific issues of civil liberties and civil rights. Because of this, a civil libertarian outlook is compatible with many other political philosophies, and civil libertarianism is found on both the right and left of modern politics.

The primary concern of the civil libertarian is the relationship of the government to the individual. The civil libertarian seeks, in theory, to restrict this relationship to an absolute minimum in which the state can function and provide basic services and securities without excessively interfering in the lives of its citizens. One key cause of civil libertarianism is upholding free speech. Specifically, civil libertarians oppose bans on pornography, hate speech, and obscenity. Although they may not personally condone behaviors associated with these issues, civil libertarians hold that the advantages of unfettered public discourse outweigh all disadvantages.

Other civil libertarian positions include support for at least partial legalization of illicit substances (marijuana, etc.), a strong demarcation between religion and politics, and, more recently and contentiously, gay marriage. The most prominent civil libertarian organization in the United States today is the American Civil Liberties Union.

In the past twenty years, with the advent of personal computers, the internet, email, cellular phones, and other information technology advances, a subset of civil libertarianism has arisen that focuses on protecting individuals’ digital rights and privacy. The organization most closely affiliated with this sort of civil libertarianism is the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Civil libertarianism" Read more

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