Restoring the foundations of liberty with reason, logic and objective reality
Making the case for classical liberalism is difficult because political, economic and moral arguments have become too emotional
The case for freedom is grounded in the nature of man, not in "self-evident truths" or "God-given rights". This is the argument Richard Ebeling makes in his essay, Restoring the Foundations of Liberty. The respective foundations of self-evident truth and God-given rights birthed the tradition of individual liberty, but using those arguments is no longer effective. Ebeling writes that an effective, proper defence of individual liberty "must have its basis in reason, logic and objective reality". The last mentioned is perhaps the most important because many arguments, nowadays, are based on emotion rather than reality. What exactly is classical liberalism, as opposed to collectivist philosophies such as socialism and fascism? Classical liberalism advocates for individual rights protected by the rule of law. Classical liberalism emphasises economic liberties such that people are able to trade with whoever they desire, on the terms they believe best. The guiding principle of interaction...
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