Why the Liberty Review Exists – A brief inquest into the history of classical liberalism and it’s relation to the current political climate

It’s impossible to trace the lineage of classical liberalism without mentioning John Locke (1632-1704), with whom the ideals of liberalism were born, at least in the sense we recognise them today. At a time in history when secularising the ruling classes of the Western world seemed impossible, where the strength of Monarchs and the Papacy, embedded in theological mysticism, reigned absolutely. Owing to the onset of the scientific revolution and the relative stability in Western states at this time, great thinkers were able to begin theorising. John Locke’s ideas were the first of a kind to be laid out in a manner descriptive of what we now call classical Liberalism. His magnum opus on these ideas was his ‘Two Treatises of Government’, in which he made the claim, purported under a moral presupposition, that people have rights that extend deeper than any which the law can provide, these being life, liberty, and property. While his purpose of staking these claims was to demonstrate the Rousseauian principle of the social contract and claim that some of these rights have to be given up in accordance with a government to function to the benefit of its people. While this may be true for some libertarians and minarchists, it laid the moral and ethical foundation of liberalism: the freedom of the individual and his ultimate sovereignty over himself.

Liberalism was further developed in political and economic theory by Adam Smith (1723-1790). Smith furthered the debate and defined liberalism in terms of ‘natural liberty’ whilst advocating for the capacity of the individual to pursue their own self-interests, and their inclination to do so, whilst championing the liberal plan for equality, liberty, and justice. Smith's ‘The Wealth of Nations’ lays out the importance of free trade both internationally and domestically, the right of an individual to willingly enter a contract, freedom of the labour market and more ideas that aligned with what he considered to be necessary for the prosperity of both state and individual. Adam Smith’s ideas on the division of labour and the invisible hand are perhaps his most famous contributions, but his works, not just on practical economics, but also on ethical theory, were widely picked up and established a real importance in the sentiment for the growing liberalist movement.

Following Smith's great contributions to the field came John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), a British philosopher and economist who contributed vastly to these fields as well as to ethics and logic. Mills ‘On Liberty’, which is composed of four essays interconnected by the ideal of liberty, is monumental to the growth and movement of liberalism within his time. Liberty and democracy were frequently written about as one, stating that ‘The limitation, therefore, of the power of government over individuals loses none of its importance when the holders of power are regularly accountable to the community, that is, to the strongest party therein.’ Mill is warning of the potential for imposition on the freedom of the subjects to the ruling party or majority in a democratically elected state or nation. He argues from an ethical standpoint that the main check on the power of society or government is the principle of individual liberty, protected by the limits it places on coercion. Mill states, ‘The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others’, in this, Mill is displaying the clear principles that underlie freedom of the individual and the government’s role in protecting this from other subjects, groups or itself. Whilst Mill made far more contributions, enough to fill several books (and has), we will confine ourselves to this principle to highlight his importance in driving the liberal movement through the 19th Century.

Friedrich Hayek (1899-1992) was another progenitor of the liberal movement in the 20th Century, most well known as an economist and his contributions to the Austrian School of Economics alongside Ludwig Von Mises. His work on free market economics did much to provide evidence to the thesis that with minimal government intervention in lives, there is a greater chance of prosperity for all. He didn’t aim at a ubiquitous equality, a utopia as described by the Marxists, but presented clear, strong analytical theory that showed the free market will provide greater prosperity for everyone including those of the lowest socio-economic backgrounds, and whilst it doesn’t eradicate gaps in wealth what it does do is increase the level the bottom is at and the increased living conditions that 100% of people feel from this economic structuring of a nation. This theory coincides greatly with the political philosophy of Locke and Mill, which Hayek also adopted and continued to advocate for throughout his life.

It is difficult to understand and reconcile that the key principles of individual liberty and sovereignty, which have been developed over the course of 300 years, are not only being infringed upon today, but the situation threatens to worsen. The definition of liberalism has been altered, making it necessary to distinguish classic liberalism and moral liberalism, which only adds to the difficulty in purveying the core principles with which it was originally intended.

The theory of individual liberty, and the non-aggression axiom as so astutely commented on by Murray Rothbard, is as close to an A Priori truth as ‘Cogito ergo sum’ and would hardly be argued against by anyone it was put forward to. This is why we have created The Liberty Review: to further discourse on pertinent subjects that affect everyone and to bring to the forefront ideas that, if widely dispersed and spread through discourse, could have far-reaching benefits to all individuals. Liberty, accentuated through Libertarianism and Classic Liberalism, in political theory and economic theory, should be the underlying axiom that all government and trade relations are founded upon; from there, our chances of success are far greater.