12 Key Concepts of Liberty

 

 

 

 

The following is a list of 12 key concepts of liberty which have been developed over several hundred years by many authors in the classical liberal, free market and conservative traditions. There is probably no single thinker who who would agree with every aspect of these key concepts. Rather, they are an amalgam taken from the various streams of thinking about individual liberty which have emerged in Western Europe and North America since the early modern period. It is designed to summarize a complex way of thinking about humans and the kind of societies they have created. Links will take you to more detailed reading lists where you can explore these ideas further.

Table of Contents

 

The Key Ideas of Classical Liberalism: Foundations, Processes, and Liberties

 

The Foundations of Classical Liberalism Ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The foundations for these beliefs are based upon the following:

  • the basic principles
    • life
    • liberty
    • property
  • the philosophical grounds for these principles
    • natural law (God’s Law) and natural rights
    • utility

 

The Processes for Achieving and Sustaining a Free Society

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The processes by which these principles are carried out/put into practice; how people interact with each other

  • the non-aggression principle
  • voluntary cooperation
  • toleration
  • free movement of people, goods, & ideas
  • individual flourishing
  • peaceful coexistence with others
  • arbitration of disputes
  • spontaneous orders

 

Liberty as “the sum of all freedoms”: The Bundles of Freedoms which make up Liberty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liberty should be seen as a “bundle” or “cluster” of freedoms which together make up what is “Liberty” (Frédéric Bastiat quote).

Frédéric Bastiat on LIBERTY as the sum of all freedoms:

And what is liberty, this word that has the power of making all hearts beat faster and causing agitation around the world, if it is not the sum of all freedoms: freedom of conscience, teaching, and association; freedom of the press; freedom to travel, work, and trade; in other words, the free exercise of all inoffensive faculties by all men and, in still other terms, the destruction of all despotic regimes, even legal despotism, and the reduction of the law to its sole rational attribution, which is to regulate the individual law of legitimate defense or to punish injustice. [from The Law (June 1850)]

LIBERTY is compromised of three main bundles of freedoms:

  • political/legal freedoms
    • limited (or no) government
    • the rule of law
    • freedom speech and association (religion)
    • right of exit/entry (movement)
    • right to change a bad govt
  • economic freedoms:
    • domestic free markets
    • international free trade
    • laissez-faire
    • progress
  • social freedoms
    • equality under the law
    • toleration of different ideas and behaviour
    • acts between consenting adults

 

 

A Summary of what Classical Liberalisms were FOR: Twelve Key Concepts of Liberty

I have picked out 12 Concepts from the above mind map which I think are most important to understanding what Classical Liberalism was and is.

  1. Natural Law and Natural Rights
  2. Private Property
  3. Individual Liberty
  4. Idea of Spontaneous Order
  5. Free Markets
  6. Limited Government
  7. Rule of Law
  8. Freedom of Speech & Religion
  9. Free Trade
  10. Peace
  11. Progress
  12. Right of Free Movement (Exit/Entry)

Above is a list of 12 key concepts of liberty which have been developed over several hundred years by many authors in the classical liberal, free market and conservative traditions. There is probably no single thinker who would agree with every aspect of these key concepts. Rather, they are an amalgam or “ideal type” taken from the various streams of thinking about individual liberty which have emerged in Western Europe and North America since the early modern period. It is designed to summarize in a more manageable way a complex way of thinking about the nature of individual liberty.

We have provided links for further reading in the OLL collection as well as The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism (Cato, 2008).

 

(1.) Natural Law and Natural Rights

Key ideas:

  • the world is governed by natural laws which are discoverable by human reason
  • Tom Paine’s “imprescriptible rights”: the right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness
  • rights are not created by government but exist anterior to it
  • [alternative view of utilitarianism - maximization of happiness or utility]

Topics in the OLL Collection: Natural Law and Natural Rights

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Natural Rights

 

(2.) Private Property

Key ideas:

  • property rights are not created by government but exist anterior to it (i.e. they are “natural rights” not “artificial rights” (Hodgskin)
  • the right of self-propriety or self-ownership (the Levellers & Locke)
  • the right to create or acquire property titles in unowned resources (Locke)
  • the right to exchange property titles with others (private contracts)
  • the right to enjoy one’s property so long as no aggression is initiated against others (non-aggression axiom)
  • property rights (in one’s person, home, possessions) create an individual, private sphere which must be protected from outside interference (by state, church, other individuals) (Humboldt & Mill)

Topics in the OLL Collection: Property

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Property Rights

 

 

(3.) Individual Liberty

Key ideas:

  • the dignity of the individual, individual autonomy, sanctity of life
  • an individual, private sphere which is protected from outside interference
  • right of voluntary association among individuals
  • civil society results from voluntary association between individuals with common interests
  • the Law of Equal Freedom (Spencer)

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Politics & Liberty | Liberty

 

(4.) Idea of Spontaneous Order

Key ideas:

  • institutions emerge spontaneously and evolve over time
  • by pursuing their own selfish interests in a voluntary manner they are led as if by an “invisible hand” (Adam Smith) to promote the welfare of others
  • e.g. language, money, private law, markets

Topics in the OLL Collection: Spontaneous Order

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Spontaneous Order

 

 

(5.) Free Markets

Key ideas:

  • domestic free markets and international free trade (A. Smith, F. Bastiat, L. von Mises)
  • voluntary exchanges are mutually beneficial (ex ante)
  • division of labour
  • freely set market prices (information about supply & demand - Hayek)
  • private ownership of economic assets
  • private contracts for exchange of property
  • legal protection of property rights
  • decentralized decision-making - “I, Pencil” - Hayek’s “problem of knowledge”
  • no regulation outside of legal protection of property rights (tort law for fraud, damages)
  • complete freedom of movement of people (labour), capital, and goods (laissez-faire, laissez-passer)
  • minimal/no taxes, balanced government budgets
  • no subsidies or protection for favoured individuals or groups
  • the incentive of profit and the disincentive of losses

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Free Trade | Economics | Money & Banking | Taxation |

 

(6.) Limited Government

Key ideas:

  • governments rule with the consent of the governed (Locke)
  • strictly defined powers limited by constitution or bill of rights (Jefferson, Madison)
  • right to choose one’s rulers/representatives (elections); elections to periodically remove bad governments (Philosophic Radicals - Mill)
  • checks & balances to limit power of branches of government (Montesquieu, US Constitution)
  • decentralization of power (federalism, states rights, municipal govt.)
  • the problem of defining the limits of govt. power (classical Smithian view, nightwatchman state (JB Say, Bastiat), anarcho-capitalism (Molinari, Spencer, Rothbard)
  • the problem of keeping government limited (Public Choce, "who guards the guardians?)

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Parties & Elections | Origin of Government | Presidents, Kings, Tyrants, & Despots | The State |

 

(7.) Rule of Law

Key ideas:

  • rule of laws not of men
  • law applies equally to all (including agents of the state)
  • common law
  • independent courts
  • common law, trial by jury, right to habeas corpus
  • abolition of “cruel & unusual punishment” (torture, death penalty)

Topics in the OLL Collection: Magna Carta; Law

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Law

 

(8.) Freedom of Speech & Religion

Key ideas:

  • freedom of the press
  • the right of assembly and right to engage in peaceful protest
  • no state-enforced religion
  • right to practice the religion of one’s choice
  • liberty of political belief and practice (18th & 19thC, JS Mill)
  • toleration of all unorthodox thought and (non injurious) behaviour

Topics in the OLL Collection: Freedom of Speech

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Freedom of Speech | Religion & Toleration |

 

 

(9.) Free Trade

Key ideas:

  • complete freedom of movement of people and goods (laissez-faire, laissez-passer)
    domestic free markets and international free trade (A. Smith, F. Bastiat, L. von Mises)
  • natural harmony of interests leads to peace
  • benefits of division of labour, comparative advantage (David Ricardo) exist between households, cities, regions, and “nation states”
  • no subsidies or protection for favoured individuals or groups
  • policy of unilateral free trade is beneficial to consumers

Topics in the OLL Collection: Free Trade

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Free Trade

 

 

(10.) Peace

Key ideas:

  • non-interference in the affairs of other nations (Washington, Cobden)
  • international arbitration to solve disputes
  • free trade between all nations
  • war leads to higher taxes, debt, growth in size of government
  • opposed taxation, conscription, national debt to fund “standing army” & fight wars
  • favoured local, volunteer militias (US Bill of Rights) - irregular, guerrilla war (Am. Rev)
  • “war is the health of the state” (R. Bourne) & Robert Higgs’ “ratchet effect”
  • modern military is anti-individualistic, command economy (Mises), socialist institution
  • free and open immigration/emigration

Subject Area in the OLL Collection: War and Peace

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: War & Peace

 

 

(11.) Progress

Key ideas:

  • through hard work and initiative both individuals and society can be improved indefinitely
  • wealth creation is a product of the free market and trade
  • savings create pool of wealth to benefit current & next generation
  • goal of individual flourishing (Humboldt)

Topics in the OLL Collection: Progress

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Progress

 

 

(12.) Right of Free Movement (Exit/Entry)

Key ideas:

  • internal (personal & geographical) - right to free movement within the state (no slavery, being tied to the land (serfs), internal passports & controls)
  • external (personal & geographical) - right to emigrate/immigrate, right to cross political borders
  • internal (govt, leave its “jurisdiction”)
    • right to change one’s government (“throw the bastards out” in free elections, problem of “serial bastardry”)
    • right of rebellion against unjust state, resistance to tyranny
    • the right to secede
    • the right to ignore the state (Spencer)

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism articles:

OLL Quotations from Key Texts: Right to Change

 

 

 

Recommended Reading

See the collection of 501 Quotations about Liberty and Power at the OLL organised by topic:

501 Quotations about Liberty and Power: The Collected Quotations from the Online Library of Liberty (2004–2014) (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2015). 

General

David M. Hart, “Study Guides on the Classical Liberal Tradition”

  • Concept Map showing the key ideas of the Classical Liberal tradition
  • Part 1: Twelve Key Concepts of the Classical Liberal Tradition
  • Part 2: Ideological Movements and Key Political Events
  • Part 3: Quotations from Key Texts Illustrating Classical Liberal Ideas

Key Text: The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism, ed. Ronald Hamowy (Los Angeles: Sage, 2008. A Project of the Cato Institute).

Anthologies of Primary Sources:

  • Quotations about Liberty and Power: a selection of over 500 quotations from the most important texts in the OLL collection arranged by topic.
    • a compilation of 501 quotes in various ebook formats can be downloaded from here. 
  • The Libertarian Reader: Classic and Contemporary Readings from Lao-Tzu to Milton Friedman, ed. David Boaz (New York: The Free Press, 1997).
  • A Libertarian Primer, ed. David Boaz (New York: The Free Press, 1997).
    • David’s excellent introduction is available online here.
  • Western Liberalism: A History in Documents from Locke to Croce, ed. E.K. Bramstead and K.J. Melhuish (London: Longman, 1978).

Histories of the Classical Liberal/Libertarian Movement:

  • Jim Powell, The Triumph of Liberty: A 2,000-Year History, told through the Lives of Freedom’s greatest Champions (New York: The Free Press, 2000).
  • A Libertarian Primer, ed. David Boaz (New York: The Free Press, 1997).
    • David Boaz’s excellent introduction is available online here.
  • Brian Doherty, Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement (New York: PublicAffairs, 2007).
  • George Smith, The System of Liberty: Themes in the History of Classical Liberalism (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2013).

History and Theory of Free Market Economics:

  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics, ed. David R. Henderson (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2008). Also available online at Econlib 
  • Murray N. Rothbard, An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought: Vol. I Economic Thought before Adam Smith (Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2006).
  • Murray N. Rothbard, An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought: Vol. II Classical Economics (Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2006).

Articles on Key Concepts from the Encyclopedia of Libertarianism

Articles from The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism which are most pertinent to my list of key concepts include the following. The items in bold are particularly important in my view.

The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism, ed. Ronald Hamowy (Los Angeles: Sage, 2008. A Project of the Cato Institute).

One should begin with Steve Davies’ “General Introduction,” The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism, pp. xxv-xxxvii, which is an excellent survey of the ideas, movements, and key events in the development of liberty, then read as many of the following articles as you can: