Liberty

:This article is about the concept. For other meanings, see liberty (disambiguation).

Political thought

Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defence of individual liberty as the purpose of government. Two main strands are apparent. In continental Europe the term usually refers to economic liberalism, that is the right of individual to contract, trade and operate in a market free of constraint. In the United States it often refers to social liberalism, including the right to dissent from orthodox tenets or established authorities in political or religious matters. Both are core political issues, and highly contentious.

Related Topics:
Liberalism - Political

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A school of thought popular among US libertarians holds that there is no tenable distinction between the two sorts of liberty -- that they are, indeed, one and the same, to be protected (or opposed) together. In the context of U.S. constitutional law, for example, they point out that the constitution twice lists "life, liberty, and property" without making any distinctions within that troika.

Related Topics:
Libertarians - Constitutional law

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Individualists, such as Max Stirner, demanded the utmost respect for the liberty of the individual. From a very similar perspective from North America, primitivists like John Zerzan proclaimed that civilization not just the state would need to be abolished to foster liberty. David Hume wrote "Of Civil Liberty", in his book "Essays Moral and Political" (first ed. 1741-2) Some in the US see protecting the ideal of liberty as a conservative policy, because this would conform to the spirit of individual liberty that they consider is at the heart of the American constitution.

Related Topics:
Individualists - Max Stirner - Primitivist - John Zerzan - Civilization - David Hume - Conservative

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See also: Libertarians, Positive liberty, Negative liberty

Related Topics:
Libertarian - Positive liberty - Negative liberty

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