He says he believes that agricultural systems could be improved based on natural laws, and that government healthcare programs are "pennywise, pound foolish and inhumane."

"I think that obviously being a physicist and knowing a lot of physics is very helpful in knowing a lot of technology, so he is in a good position to understand things like arms control issues," Georgi says.

Preventative medical intervention plays a prominent role in the Natural Law Coalition platform.

In part, Hagelin says he draws on common sense: the government should provide a $200 reimbursement for Medicare patients with high blood pressure or heart disease to spend on a treadmill and personal trainer instead of spending $50,000 on a quintuple bypass operation when the same person is deathly ill.

Under his plan, Medicare would also cover transcendental meditation, which Hagelin practices daily. He cites the National Institute of Health journal articles that says it is more effective and cost-efficient than drugs in reducing high blood pressure and preventing heart disease.

"It's part of my scientific philosophy, and my willingness to stick my neck out for what works," Hagelin says. "If I waver from that clean philosophy by not supporting transcendental meditation for political reasons, then my whole candidacy would be tainted."

He has advocated federally-insured loans and tax incentives to create capital for start-up companies in inner city neighborhoods. He believes in legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes and in decriminalizing non-violent drug offenses.