Classical Liberalism

What the heck is a Classical Liberal????

This is the usual question I am asked whenever I talk political or economic theory. Or, rather, some variation of it. Often, people seem to think I am calling myself a Democrat (a major leftist US political party) and are confused. The very short answer that I have learned to give is that my theories are very close to that of a libertarian. People generally have some idea of what that means and usually respect it. However, since I have the time I will give the slightly longer answer.

I will begin by stating that I hate the modern terms "liberal" and "conservative." They are both confusing and often contradictory to their devotee's agendas. Many consider my theories conservative. The issue is that in the literal sense of the word every theory I have is antithetical to conservation. I do not wish save, protect, or return to anything we (as a nation) may have once had. If anything, my theories are in a literal sense progressive or radical. I consider myself a liberal in the true and literal sense of that word. Unfortunately, modern leftist liberalism is far from it. They are often the first to constrain individual liberties in the name of a "higher good" or call for greater governmental control when they see individuals deviating from what they see as "good for them."

Liberalism or Classical Liberalism had its beginnings in early 18th century England with thinkers such as Adam Smith and John Locke. Their theories were developed, most notably, by the founders of the United States in the late 18th century. I will not go any farther into a history lesson, but there are mountains of resources out there if you are interested. I would certainly recommend picking up Smith's The Wealth of Nations or Locke's Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government if you find yourself looking for primary sources.

Classical Liberals recognize the three "natural rights" that Locke identified: Life, Individual Liberty, and Private Property. Try as I might, I have not come up with a fourth right that is not already encompassed by these three. At some point, I may expound on natural rights and what they mean, but just know that Classical Liberals hold these three things up as sacred.

EDIT: See Natural Rights

Classical Liberals are believers in the free market and individual liberty. Contrary to a Marxist or collectivist view of the world, they see each individual as a rational actor who seeks his or her own self-interest. These individuals, according to Liberal theories, will coordinate and compete in an open market and progressively produce a higher and higher standard of living for all. Again, this requires a lengthy discussion on economics, but I trust that anyone who has had a high school economics class will not need the refresher.

Government, to Classical Liberals, is a necessary evil that cannot be trusted and must be constrained. They fear tyranny and the infringement of the natural rights, which is why Liberals call for a small, well-balanced government that derives its powers from the populace. This idea of popular rule is often called a "social contract" or "popular sovereignty." Such a government can be easily controlled or cast down if necessary. In the future, I may write on the ideas of Federalism or one of the various filters and checks that the founders of the US created as limitations.

After all this, you may ask: "This sounds very, very close to Libertarianism. Why don't you just call yourself that and save yourself the trouble?" For one simple reason. In my experience, libertarians are often very close to anarchists. They will often promote local government and deny any need for central control. This is where I differ. I do see a need for a central government. However, I see this need as limited and carefully balanced with local government (see "Federalism").

This only scratches the surface, but I see no need to belabor the point in a short blog post. For more information, I would highly recommend Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom as a good entry into this world of thought.

Mr. Savage