Cambridge Handbook of Classical Liberal Thought

About this book

"This book arises out of a symposium on classical-liberal thought at the University of Chicago Law School in 2015. The Law School aspires to two precepts in its pursuit of truth: the value of interdisciplinary inquiry and the importance of diverse voices being heard. Applying these, the Ordower Symposium (named after our distinguished alumnus and benefactor Mark Ordower) featured scholars of law, economics, and philosophy. In addition, the attendees were not all classical liberals--sympathetic voices, hostile voices, and agnostic voices were all heard during the two-day event. Those voices are represented in this volume. In the pages that follow, you will find the views of classical liberal stalwarts like Richard Epstein, progressives like Michael Seidman, and everything in between. The book also features a range of styles and modes of inquiry, from law to economics to philosophy. On behalf of the participants in the symposium and the contributors to this book, we hope you learn from this work as much as we did from engaging with each other about fundamental questions regarding the proper role and nature of government in our society"--