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.
• Delves into a set of ideas that have received scant attention in the history of political thought • Examines controversies generated by the rights of resistance and revolution, as articulated and defended by many seventeenth-century liberals • Discusses the debate about the role of education in a free society and what role government may or should play in providing it
Contents
1. Liberalism, old and new; 2. Liberalism and the public good; 3. Liberal ideology and political philosophy; 4. Sovereign state, sovereign self; 5. The anarchy game; 6. The radical edge of liberalism; 7. The idea of freedom; 8. Conflicts in classical liberalism; 9. Individualism; 10. Methodological individualism.
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