The Murderer Comes Home
Edith de Haviland (Glenn Close) descends the stairs in "Crooked House," made from a 1949 Agatha Christie novel. (alamy.com)Edmund Burke: Natural Lawyer
Statue of Edmund Burke, Trinity College, Dublin (deadlyphoto.com / Alamy Stock Photo).Natural Law and Democracy: The Philosophy of James Wilson
Thoroughgoing philosophical skepticism undermines liberty by denying that law can be reasonable, and that justice can be known.
Engraving by J.B. Longacre after "miniature in possession of Mrs. Hollingsworth." Published in John Sanderson, Biog. of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, 1823. (Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com)Trade, Nations, and War in an Enlightened Age
Image: Sharlotta/Shutterstock.comWhy We Need Hume’s Wisdom on Factions
President Donald Trump at a press conference, April 27, 2018 (Nicole S. Glass/Shutterstock.com).What Was the Scottish Enlightenment?
Statue of David Hume on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh The Problem with the “Simple Principle” of Liberty
In response to: Can Libertarianism Be a Governing Philosophy?
Mock-up of a new, libertarian frontier: "sea-steading"More Responses
If libertarians are not prepared to accept the consequences of absolute non-aggression, they should seek a more plausible public philosophy.
Munger’s framework leaves us with hope grounded in realism.
My suggestion was that “directional” libertarians and classical liberals ally rather than question one another’s authenticity.
Publius’ Conservative Values
Late last month, constitutionalists marked the publication 230 years ago of Federalist 1 with reveries about Publius’ call for Americans to rise to the occasion and show the world that governments could be founded on “reflection and choice” rather than “accident and force.”
Is It Really Commercial Activity that Civilizes?
Don’t let references to “the dismal science” fool you. Classical liberal economics is actually a pretty optimistic way to look at life. Liberals maintain that markets create wealth, promote mutual gain, and unlock talents and resources in individuals and nations. And, they say, markets have political benefits. Since the Enlightenment, liberals have argued that markets promote civic pluralism by making people more reasonable and prudent; less given to political and, especially, religious enthusiasm; and eager to avoid divisive debates about deep commitments. That markets have these advantages is known as the doux commerce thesis. (That’s doux as in soft, or having a…
