The System of Liberty

Themes in the History of Classical Liberalism

Bibliographic Data

ID8093873
AuthorsGeorge H Smith, George Smith (0000-0002-4549-4775, corresponding author)
Year2013
Publication date2013-03-31
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueSystem of Liberty (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9780511793325
OpenAlexW594489492
Open LibraryOL34556357M
ISBN9780511793325
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited12

Liberal individualism, or 'classical liberalism' as it is often called, refers to a political philosophy in which liberty plays the central role. This book demonstrates a conceptual unity within the manifestations of classical liberalism by tracing the history of several interrelated and reinforcing themes. Concepts such as order, justice, rights and freedom have imparted unity to this diverse political ideology by integrating context and meaning. However, they have also sparked conflict, as classical liberals split on a number of issues, such as legitimate exceptions to the 'presumption of liberty', the meaning of 'the public good', natural rights versus utilitarianism, the role of the state in education, and the rights of resistance and revolution. This book explores these conflicts and their implications for contemporary liberal and libertarian thought

Classical liberalism · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Ideology · Individualism · Law and economics · Liberalism · Meaning (existential · Negative liberty · Political science · Politics · Presumption · Sociology · Legal and Social Philosophy · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Political Philosophy and Ethics · History & Theory · Liberty · Law · Philosophy