The Morality of Freedom [antikvár]

1The Problem of Political FreedomI. A Journey of ExplorationThis is a book about political freedom. It is both an introduction and a contribution to the political theory of liberalism. Liberalism can be understood in historical terms. It is a political tradition which has developed and become one of the dominant political forces in what is known as the Western world over the last three hundred years or so. It is identified by a series of political causes espoused by liberals over the centuries, by a variety of claims about the working of society and the economy, and by a cluster of ideas concerning the fundamental principles of political morality. It is probably true to say that no political cause, no one vision of society nor any political principle has commanded the respect of all liberals in any given generation, let alone through the centuries.^ But the liberal tradition displays a considerable degree of unity and continuity which have enabled it to become one of the dominant and most formative strands of Western culture.This essay, however, will not pursue the historical trail. It is addressed primarily to people who grew up in the embrace of the liberal tradition or who at least have felt its attraction, to those who wish to define their own position relative to that tradition. They hope to identify a coherent body of ideas which places them somewhere inside the liberal tradition, even though it may turn out to include elements borrowed from other political traditions. It is, in other words, an essay on the political morality of liberalism. Though the ideas to be canvassed will presuppose certain views concerning the nature and working of society, these will largely remain the background. Though the conclusions I will reach have implications for various political problems1 The range of liberal ideas is displayed in Western Liberalism, ed. E. K. Bramsted and K. J. Melhuish, London, 1978.