Classical Liberalism

“For decades, the dividing line between left and right was economic in nature; conservatives wanted tax cuts, deregulation, and a smaller federal government….The divide now concerns the ‘open’ versus ‘closed’ societies where moral and ideational issues are more determinant of a person’s vote than tax cuts and spending.” - L&L

“it is illuminating to compare the United States and Canada, which share a continent and have their origin in America’s revolution 250 years ago. One accepted what may plausibly be called [classical] liberalism and the other rejected it. Hence, with many caveats, they can provide useful points of comparison, and give a cautionary tale.” - Providence

“Classical liberals have assumed that the natural family and the values surrounding it would prevail ‘in a condition of liberty.’ Yet the radical changes in marriage and the family ‘have all been done in the name of liberty.’ Social conservatism however ‘requires language that goes well beyond that of individual liberty.’” - Juicy Ecumenism

“Far from the author of rabid secularism or deconstructive individualism, Locke, influenced by Shaftesbury, was an agent of ordered liberty. He … articulated an alternative statecraft defending and expanding English freedoms in politics and religion.” - Providence

On the push and pull between ‘humans as made in the image of God and humans still trapped in sin.’ - David French

“…the questions of politics must focus on how much liberty a society can tolerate before it starts to break down. This is a very old debate, of course. But it’s not a conversation that many critics of ‘liberalism’ seem very interested in having.” - John Ehrett

“Due process is just, and it’s indispensable to the pursuit of justice. It is the answer to the question at the start of this newsletter—in the most fraught of claims and the most vicious of crimes—What if we loved them both? What if both accused and accuser were of equal worth?” - David French