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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.

September 13, 2019|Edmund Burke, F.A. Hayek, J.D. Vance, Libertarianism, Mary Eberstadt, National Conservatism

National Conservatism’s Fatal Conceit

by Kai Weiss|

US Capitol building and flag at sunrise - Washington DC (photo by Orhan Cam - shutterstock.com)
Many of the crises that national conservatives want to fix were, in part, created by politicians thinking they can solve every malady.

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.

July 24, 2019|Adam Smith, Conservatism, Libertarianism, social policy, sympathy

A Sympathetic Liberty

by Brent Orrell|

Statue of Adam Smith at St. Giles Cathedral, Parliament Square, Edinburgh, Scotland (Matt Ledwinka/Shutterstock.com).
Can the Theory of Moral Sentiments help heal the Conservative–Libertarian divide?

November 28, 2018|economics, free trade, Fusionism, Libertarianism, Nationalism, Whittaker Chambers

The Right after Fusionism, Part 2: Whittaker Chambers and the Economic Temptation

by Greg Forster|

Whittaker Chambers testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee (1948).
Economic liberalism need not settle the question of who God is and what God has said and done, but it must at least recognize man's religious nature.

May 10, 2018|Construction, Interpretation, Jesse Merriam, Legal Turn, Libertarianism, Michael McConnell, Nathan Chapman, Ryan Williams

The Legal Turn is not a Libertarian Turn

by John O. McGinnis, Mike Rappaport|

Preamble to the Constitution (Jack R. Perry Photography/Shutterstock.com)
Michael Rappaport and John McGinnis respond to Jessie Merriam: the legal turn does not imply a libertarian bias.

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.

March 19, 2018|

The Problem with the “Simple Principle” of Liberty

by Scott Yenor|

In response to: Can Libertarianism Be a Governing Philosophy?

Mock-up of a new, libertarian frontier: "sea-steading"
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.

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.

Libertarianism: Michael Munger Responds to His Critics

by Michael C. Munger

My suggestion was that “directional” libertarians and classical liberals ally rather than question one another’s authenticity.

March 12, 2018|

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

by Nikolai G. Wenzel|

In response to: Can Libertarianism Be a Governing Philosophy?

Mock-up of a new, libertarian frontier: "sea-steading"
Munger’s framework leaves us with hope grounded in realism.

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.

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.

Libertarianism: Michael Munger Responds to His Critics

by Michael C. Munger

My suggestion was that “directional” libertarians and classical liberals ally rather than question one another’s authenticity.

March 5, 2018|

No, But Classical Liberalism Can

by Nathan W. Schlueter|

In response to: Can Libertarianism Be a Governing Philosophy?

Mock-up of a new, libertarian frontier: "sea-steading"
If libertarians are not prepared to accept the consequences of absolute non-aggression, they should seek a more plausible public philosophy.

More Responses

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.

Libertarianism: Michael Munger Responds to His Critics

by Michael C. Munger

My suggestion was that “directional” libertarians and classical liberals ally rather than question one another’s authenticity.
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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.

Read More

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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