Explore Freedom

Individual Liberty and Civil Society

by Richard M. Ebeling February 1, 1993

In 1819, the French classical liberal, Benjamin Constant, delivered a lecture in Paris entitled, "The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Modems." He drew his audience's attention to the fact that in the world of ancient Greece, "the aim of the ancients was the sharing of power among the citizens of the fatherland: this is ... [click for more]

The Rise, Fall, and Renaissance of Classical Liberalism, Part 3: The 20th Century

by Ralph Raico December 1, 1992

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 The First World War was the watershed of the twentieth century. Itself the product of antiliberal ideas and policies, such as militarism and protectionism, the Great War fostered statism in every form. In Europe and America, the trend towards state intervention accelerated, as governments conscripted, censored, inflated, ran up mountains ... [click for more]

The Rise, Fall, and Renaissance of Classical Liberalism, Part 2: Triumphs and Challenges

by Ralph Raico October 1, 1992

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 As the nineteenth century began, classical liberalism — or just liberalism as the philosophy of freedom was then known — was the specter haunting Europe — and the world. In every advanced country the liberal movement was active. Drawn mainly from the middle classes, it included people from widely contrasting religious ... [click for more]

Up from Serfdom: Friedrich A. Hayek and the Defense of Liberty

by Richard M. Ebeling August 1, 1992

Friedrich August von Hayek was one of the greatest economists and political philosophers of the 20th century. After Ludwig von Mises, Professor Hayek was the leading figure of the Austrian School of Economics during the last six decades. He also was one of the most profound defenders of liberty during the last two hundred years. With his death on ... [click for more]

The Rise, Fall, and Renaissance of Classical Liberalism, Part 1

by Ralph Raico August 1, 1992

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Classical liberalism — or simply liberalism, as it was called until around the turn of the century — is the signature political philosophy of Western civilization. Hints and suggestions of the liberal idea can be found in other great cultures. But it was the distinctive society produced in Europe — ... [click for more]

Race, Power, and Repatriation

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 1992

Every single domestic war waged by the United States government against the American people in this century has been a failure. The war on alcohol — a failure. The war on poverty — a failure. The war on drugs — a failure. The War on illiteracy — a failure. But perhaps the biggest ... [click for more]

Fighting Statism in a Post-Communist World

by Richard M. Ebeling February 1, 1992

After the seventy-five year experiment with socialist central-planning in the Soviet Union, it has now been demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no alternative to a market economy. And this is reflected in the stated objectives of every one of the former communist countries: to privatize ... [click for more]

You Can If You Think You Can

by Norman Vincent Peale October 1, 1991

roblems constitute a sign of life. Indeed, I would go so far as to suggest that the more problems you have, the more alive you are. The person who has, let us say, ten good old tough, man-sized problems is, on this basis, twice as alive as the poor, miserable, apathetic ... [click for more]

An Open Letter to American Blacks

by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1991

The prospects for freedom in America may very well lie with you. For you have been most damaged by the welfare-state, planned-economy way of life. I wish to share some of my perspectives with you in the hopes that you will help lead our nation to break free of this enslaving ... [click for more]

Penalty of Surrender

by Leonard Read September 1, 1991

A certain business leader, perhaps among the most publicized during the last two decades, once Severely lectured me on my unswerving and uncompromising behavior. He charged that I saw things only in blacks and whites. He argued that practical life was lived in shades of grays, actually in the shadows of ... [click for more]

Thought and Purpose

by James Allen February 1, 1991

Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is allowed to "drift" upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and destruction. They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey ... [click for more]

The Sanctity of Private Property, Part 2

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 1991

Part 1 | Part 2 The last thing which Americans of today wish to face is that they have abandoned the principles of private property on which the United States was founded. In last August's Freedom Daily, I pointed to two examples of where the American people have permitted their public officials to assume absolute and total control ... [click for more]