Where do rights come from? Prof. Aeon Skoble claims that there are several types of rights that come from various sources. For instance, voting rights and contract rights come from the legal system. Moral rights are the most controversial, with disagreements about their origin. Fortunately, despite these differences of opinion amongst classical liberals, the various theories […]
Individuals have rights. But are they natural? And how do they compare and contrast with legal or constitutional rights? Are legal or constitutional rights similar to those inalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence? Professor Aeon Skoble distinguishes such constitutional rights, such as the right to vote, from the rights protected by governments and […]
Historian Stephen Davies describes classical liberalism as a comprehensive philosophy, which has had implications in all the major academic disciplines. At an abstract level, classical liberalism offers three key insights: The goal of life is human happiness and flourishing. Personal choice and individual liberty are crucial in explaining and appreciating how society develops. Commerce, wealth, […]
According to Prof. James Stacey Taylor, John Stuart Mill’s harm principle has been one of the most influential political principles on classical liberalism. The harm principle states that the only reason to restrict the action of another individual is to prevent harm to others. If someone is harming themselves, you are only justified in attempting […]
Does individual liberty threaten community? Some think that it does. As philosophy professor James Otteson explains, some worry that individual liberty undermines moral community, while others worry that it neglects those most vulnerable in a community, such as the poor. But Otteson cautions against thinking this way, for several reasons. As he explains, to take […]
Prof. Antony Davies analyzes the fundamental differences between liberals and conservatives. He then proposes an alternative method of viewing political issues, which looks at policies and their respective impact on individual freedom. Prof. Antony Davies concludes that the conventional liberal/conservative dichotomy encourages us to ignore first principles, and hence, overlook contradictory views.
Philosophy professor Mark LeBar asks some thought-provoking questions: How is government special? Why can government morally obligate people to do things, when ordinary people can’t? Why does the government claim to have not only power, but authority? Why do we consider some government authority more legitimate than others? Two common arguments are that legitimate government […]
From the IHS Vault: Dr. Bill Glod explores the origin and character of rights. In this lecture, he explains two approaches that philosophers use to derive rights, consequential and deontological, and examines the ability of each perspective to provide a strong argument for rights. Filmed at the 2010 IHS seminar “Morality, Capitalism, and Freedom” at […]
How should we understand Ayn Rand’s political thought? Prof. Jennifer Burns argues that Rand was a part of the broad classical liberal tradition. Rand’s novels, including Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, emphasize individualism, a fundamental theme in classical liberal/libertarian thought. Rand also contributed to that tradition by modernizing and popularizing the ideas, which led to […]
From the IHS Vault: Professor Chris Freiman gives a lecture on the political philosophy of 20th century American philosopher Robert Nozick, including his views on fairness, justice, and equality.
What does it mean to be a libertarian? According to Dr. Jeffrey Miron, libertarians have respect for individual decisions. Libertarians are different from Republicans and Democrats, because both of those groups attempt to use government to advance their ideas of how people should act or behave, while libertarians think that individuals should be able to […]
From the IHS Vault: Dr. Davies explains how classical liberal ideas grew as an intellectual movement in the eighteenth century and gradually gained popular support. This rise of political ideas based on free markets and individual liberty achieved several notable political goals in the nineteenth century, such as abolition of slavery, extension of the franchise, […]
From the IHS Vault: Dr. Davies traces the decline of classical liberal/libertarian ideas from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century. He describes how the case for classical liberal ideas grew stale and fell prey to competing ideologies like socialism, fascism, and welfare liberalism. Filmed at the 2006 IHS seminar “Advanced Studies in Freedom” at […]
Why is the rule of law so important? Law professor Tom W. Bell explains how the rule of law is a critical part of a free and tolerant society. The rule of law means that people are not subject to the arbitrary will of others. It means they can engage in activities that others might […]
From the IHS Vault: Political science professor Randy Simmons gives a personal perspective on the topic of local government, sharing his past experiences both as a city councilman and as mayor in a small town. Contrary to what some people may think, Simmons explains how local governments can be every bit as abusive of their […]
Dr. Nigel Ashford explains the 10 core principles of the classical liberal & libertarian view of society and the proper role of government: 1) Liberty as the primary political value; 2) Individualism; 3) Skepticism about power; 4) Rule of Law; 5) Civil Society; 6) Spontaneous Order; 7) Free Markets; 8) Toleration; 9) Peace; 10) Limited […]
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