In the context of Contemporary Ethics can you please help further
define what is libertarianism? What is it about libertarianism that
makes it an attractive and appealing moral philosophy?

Hello Stwalsh2,
Let me have a try at your question.

Libertarianism has many definitions, but let me define as the strong
valuing of liberty and individual freedom. One website gives the
definition to the ideology by describing the libertarian as "1) One
who believes in freedom of action and thought. 2.) One who believes in
free will".  One comment on a site says that "libertarians believe
that democracy is a necessary but insufficient condition for a just
and prosperous society."

It is not true that all Libertarians are against the use of force,
according to the same website. Liberterians usually accept the
authority of government, but only as long as it acts in a legitimate
way and at the appropriate level. Authorities and overseers have their
limit. Any ideologies that take away the right of an individual to
free will and independent action, such as communism, oppose
Libertarianism. Slavery, as in the manner of what happened to the
blacks, is another opposing concept because it deprives an individual
of the liberty to control his or her own life.

I believe that it is an attractive ideology because humans are
individualistic, in nature, and it is natural to want freedom of
though and action. Basically, it agrees with human nature and human
tendencies. But it does agree with most accepted morality. As each
human being is a free moral agent, one is therefore free to act and
think on one's own without control from anyone else. Taking over this
free moral agency is thought of as "dehumanizing", or reducing the
person to something less than he or she is. Libertarianism is
favorable in light of ethical discussion because it emphasizes the
intrinsically individual nature of man. Or to put it in layman's
words, it "follows nature".

Libertarianism is by no means a replacement for Christianity, Islam,
Objectivism, or any other major belief and philosophical system. It is
a certain idealogy that just ties in with these major systems. Of
course, it cannot tie in with other belief systems (like communism and
fascism).


Sources:
Libertarianism: An Elegant Solution
http://www.elsol.org/f_liberty.html

Libertarianism.com: What Is Libertarianism?
http://www.libertarianism.com/what-it-is.htm
- Definition of Libertarianism from the Libertarians' own point of
view.

BlackCrayon.com dictionary: 'libertarianism'
http://www.blackcrayon.com/library/dictionary/?term=libertarianism

Chris Holt : Lounge / Libertarianism / Definition
http://homepages.cs.ncl.ac.uk/chris.holt/home.informal/lounge/politics/libertarianism/definition.html

Libertarian - Definition by HyperDictionary.com
http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/libertarian
- Contrasts Libertarianism to the doctrine of necessity.

A Theory for Libertarianism
http://libertariannation.org/a/f53h2.html

Libertarianism,Religious Topics and Governmental Controversies
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/alltiedup/liberty.html

The Ethics of Libertarianism by J.P. Stephens
http://members.tripod.com/~Blightoboy/libpaper.html
- An essay that discusses the ethical implications of Libertarianism.

April 2001 eDebate Archives: My Problems with Libertarianism - Message
board postings
http://www.ndtceda.com/archives/200104/0465.html

Blockian Ethics
http://royhalliday.home.mindspring.com/hero.htm


Google Search terms used:
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I hope this has been a most helpful answer. If you need anything else,
or have a problem with the answer, do please post a Request for
Clarification and I shall respond as soon as I can. Thank you.

Thank you, your response was timely and answered my question with
exceptional detail.