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January 16, 2020|Classical Liberalism, Libertarianism, Mediating Institutions, Tyler Cowen

The Inadequacy of State Capacity Libertarianism

by John O. McGinnis|

Tyler Cowen interviews Nate Silver at George Mason University in 2015. Photo courtesy of Mercatus Center
Modern libertarianism has too narrow a view of social harm and too limited a role for government in encouraging mediating institutions that ameliorate it.

December 31, 2019|Classical Liberalism, Year in Review

The Waning Fortunes of Classical Liberalism

by John O. McGinnis|

The Statue of Liberty (David Smith/Shutterstock.com)
If classical liberalism seems embattled now, its prospects are likely far worse in the next economic downturn or crisis of national security.

November 21, 2019|Adam Smith, Classical Liberalism, Edmund Burke, free trade, Friedrich Hayek, Navigation Acts, Thoughts and Details on Scarcity

Burke’s Political Economy Reconsidered

by Gregory M. Collins|

Edmund Burke, painted by James Barry (Location: Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin)
Edmund Burke held that some social institutions and social goods should always remain beyond the reach of supply and demand.

October 21, 2019|Alastair MacIntyre, Classical Liberalism, Conservatism, Michael Oakeshott, Michael Polyani, Reason, Tradition

A Better Guide than Reason—Or Not?

by Virginia Arbery|

In recovering tradition, how can the presuppositions of a believing culture apply to one bereft of belief?

August 27, 2019|Barack Obama, Classical Liberalism, Donald Trump, human nature, Libertarianism, Liberty

The Precarious State of Liberty in the USA

by Douglas B. Rasmussen|

Protesters at the "Presidents Day Protest to Fight Trump's Fake Crisis," in San Francisco, California on February 18, 2019 (Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com).
The prevailing intellectual culture is becoming more and more convinced that concepts like liberty do not have any reference in reality.

May 20, 2019|Classical Liberalism, John Locke, New Testament, Old Testament, Political Hebraism, Yechiel Leiter

John Locke and Political Hebraism

by David Conway|

Locke published the Two Treatises as a moral justification of violent resistance against tyranny—and the Hebrew Bible was vital to this endeavor.

December 31, 2018|Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Classical Liberalism, Dear Colleague Letters, deregulation, Donald Trump, Rhetoric

2018: A Gathering Storm for Classical Liberalism

by John O. McGinnis|

U.S. Capitol (zimmytws/shutterstock.com)
Forces appear to be gathering to push America toward the greatest aggrandizement of the state since the New Deal.

July 27, 2018|Classical Liberalism, containment, doux commerce, George Kennan, human nature, Model Treaty, Montesquieu, Soviet Union, trade

Does Classical Liberalism Have a Foreign Policy?

by John O. McGinnis|

The USS John C. Stennis on August 5, 2016 in Pearl Harbor, HI (Jeff Whyte / Shutterstock.com).
A foreign policy that pursues peaceful trade and self-defense aligns well with what classical liberals know about the limits of politics in general.

June 1, 2018|Catholic Social Thought, Classical Liberalism, Communist Party, Hartz reforms, Italy, Socialist Party

Italy’s Failure Is a Failure of Statism, Not Liberalism

by John O. McGinnis|

Cafe in Lucca, Italy (Catarina Belova/Shutterstock.com).
The growth of populism in Italy follows logically from the fact the Italians never embraced classically liberal reforms.

April 9, 2018|

Libertarianism: Michael Munger Responds to His Critics

by Michael C. Munger|

In response to: Can Libertarianism Be a Governing Philosophy?

Mock-up of a new, libertarian frontier: "sea-steading"
My suggestion was that “directional” libertarians and classical liberals ally rather than question one another’s authenticity.

More Responses

No, But Classical Liberalism Can

by Nathan W. Schlueter

If libertarians are not prepared to accept the consequences of absolute non-aggression, they should seek a more plausible public philosophy.

Libertarianism: Just As Feasible As the Rest (and Just As Fragile)

by Nikolai G. Wenzel

Munger’s framework leaves us with hope grounded in realism.

The Problem with the “Simple Principle” of Liberty

by Scott Yenor

Communities may restrain liberty. These social features of human nature are as much a part of our mental furniture as the love of liberty—perhaps more so.
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Book Reviews

A Mirror of the 20th-Century Congress

by Joseph Postell

Wright undermined the very basis of his local popularity—the decentralized nature of the House—by supporting reforms that gave power to the party leaders.

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The Graces of Flannery O'Connor

by Henry T. Edmondson III

O'Connor's correspondence is a goldmine of piercing insight and startling reflections on everything from literature to philosophy to raising peacocks.

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Liberty Classics

Rereading Politica in the Post-Liberal Moment

by Glenn A. Moots

Althusius offers a rich constitutionalism that empowers persons to thrive alongside one another in deliberate communities.

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James Fenimore Cooper and the American Experiment

by Melissa Matthes

In The American Democrat, James Fenimore Cooper defended democracy against both mob rule and majority tyranny.

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Podcasts

Stuck With Decadence

A discussion with Ross Douthat

Ross Douthat discusses with Richard Reinsch his new book The Decadent Society.

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Can the Postmodern Natural Law Remedy Our Failing Humanism?

A discussion with Graham McAleer

Graham McAleer discusses how postmodern natural law can help us think more coherently about human beings and our actions.

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Did the Civil Rights Constitution Distort American Politics?

A discussion with Christopher Caldwell

Christopher Caldwell discusses his new book, The Age of Entitlement.

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America, Land of Deformed Institutions

A discussion with Yuval Levin

Yuval Levin pinpoints that American alienation and anger emerges from our weak political, social, and religious institutions.

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About

Law & Liberty’s focus is on the classical liberal tradition of law and political thought and how it shapes a society of free and responsible persons. This site brings together serious debate, commentary, essays, book reviews, interviews, and educational material in a commitment to the first principles of law in a free society. Law & Liberty considers a range of foundational and contemporary legal issues, legal philosophy, and pedagogy.

The opinions expressed on Law & Liberty are solely those of the contributors to the site and do not reflect the opinions of Liberty Fund.
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