Introduction (Vol. 1 No. 2)

The second issue of the Humane Studies Review continues our outline of the history of libertarian thought with a brief discussion of the 18th century Enlightenment in America, France, and Germany. The 18th century was an exciting time for libertarians; the Old Regime of privilege, restrictions on economic activities, and imperial warfare was challenged both theoretically and politically. Antistate revolutions in the American colonies and France were, in the main, the result. As will be seen in the following installment, the 18th century revolutions in thought and politics laid the foundations for the flourishing of classical liberalism and free trade during the 19th century.

Since a major theme of 17th and 18th century liberal thought was the importance of natural law and natural rights, it is appropriate to include in this issue the first of a two-part article on “An Introduction to the Literature of Natural Law and Natural Rights,” by the philosopher George Smith. It is vitally important to understand and reincorporate a theory of natural rights into classical liberal thought, because a major factor in the decline and failure of liberal thought in the 19th century was its abandonment of natural rights. In place of an objective moral standard to which all private, as well as State, activities could be compared and judged, the weaker and ultimately fatal creed of utilitarianism was adopted. In order to avoid a similar mistake, modern liberal thought must be based on a firmer foundation than “greatest happiness.” George Smith’s article is important for directing us to an alternative tradition upon which we can build a rigorous defense of individual liberty.