# Multimedia Multimedia --- - [Podcasts](/podcasts) - [Cato Video](/multimedia/cato-video) - [Video Series](/search/category/video-series) - [Events](/multimedia/events) Download: [ Video ](https://fastly-unsigned-us-east-1-prod.brightcovecdn.com/media/v1/pmp4/static/clear/6039378657001/d3700427-ea8c-4f1b-894f-ed6005bdbc41/f8a35a9c-7dc2-4e29-b748-00389599ddf2/main.mp4) [ Video ](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2012/cv-08-21-12-hd.mp4) Cato Video • August 20, 2012 # Reasons You Are a Libertarian [https://​www​.cato​.org/​e​v​e​n​t​.​p​h​p​?​e​v​e​n​t​i​d​=9168](https://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9168) While the basic tenets of libertarianism — individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace — seem simple and desirable to a broad swath of society, many people hesitate to identify as libertarian or advocate for libertarian policy proposals. Such reticence often stems from questions about the philosophical, moral, social, or economic justifications behind a liberty-maximizing approach. Can social and economic order emerge when individuals pursue their own interests, or do societies need leaders to govern them? What would happen to social services and infrastructure in a laissez-faire environment? Would culture and prudence dissolve? Would the rich dominate the poor? Cato Senior Fellow Tom G. Palmer discusses these ideas. [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). ##### Featuring [![Media Name: palmer-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/palmer-cropped.jpg?itok=4cdv7ymk)](/people/tom-g-palmer) ##### [Tom G. Palmer](/people/tom-g-palmer) Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network; Senior Fellow, Cato Institute [ ](https://x.com/tomgpalmer) [ ](mailto:tpalmer@cato.org)