Towards a Humane Individualism (ePub)

The movement known as liberalism, even with a small 'l', has been sadly divided during the last century between liberals who have moved in a collectivist direction and those who have stuck to the classical tradition of individualism and free markets. The first of these essays defends the individualist interpretation of liberalism against the onslaught of communitarians and others. The second piece, which was touched off by two recent books, analyses the harm done by the breach between the two kinds of liberalism and how they are both impoverished as a result. The third paper is a modest attempt to bridge the gap by a more humane interpretation of classical liberalism. It tries to show how it is possible to reduce the role of the state, while still redistributing the counters with which the market game is played.In 1997 Sir Samuel Brittan, the eminent economic journalist, gave the annual John Stuart Mill Institute Lecture choosing to eschew the economy and concentrate on politics. This eBook brings together the text from the lecture with two earlier pieces – a lecture and a review thereby developing a coherent argument that is still relevant today.In Samuel Brittan's own words:"The movement known as liberalism, even with a small 'l', has been sadly divided during the last century between liberals who have moved in a collectivist direction and those who have stuck to the classical tradition of individualism and free markets.The first of these essays defends the individualist interpretation of liberalism against the onslaught of communitarians and others. The second piece, which was touched off by two recent books, analyses the harm done by the breach between the two kinds of liberalism and how they are both impoverished as a result. The third paper is a modest attempt to bridge the gap by a more humane interpretation of classical liberalism. It tries to show how it is possible to reduce the role of the state, while still redistributing the counters with which the market game is played."