Libertarianism can really be reduced to two key principles. After you start viewing the world through the lens of these two things, you can usually logically find the libertarian answer to any issue.
The first principle is non-aggression. No person is allowed to use aggression against another. That’s violence or the threat of violence. This includes family, friends, neighbors, strangers or the state. That’s why most libertarians consider taxation theft, because of the threat of violence by the state if you don’t comply.
Most libertarians aren’t pacifists, self-defense against an aggressor is a right, which leads to the second principle.
The principle of private property. You have the right to voluntarily acquire property and do with it as you see fit, as long as doing so doesn’t harm anyone else. This includes you personally. You are your own private property.
All the permutations of these principles can get pretty deep, and I’m just skimming the surface as an introduction here. I’m sure all of this will come up in future discussions. I can also recommend “For a New Liberty” by Murray Rothbard for a deeper examination of libertarian axioms and how they apply to real life and how they’d work in a stateless society.
WHAT! NO GOVERNMENT!?!
Yeah, maybe it could work. Rothbard makes a pretty good case for it in a book that was rewritten slightly and republished when Carter was president. Just think about how much bigger government is at all levels now, compared to 1979.
I’ll admit, I’m not all in on that idea yet, but I’m working on it.