Introduction (Vol. 1 No. 3)

With this issue of the Humane Studies Review we would like to welcome Leonard Liggio and Walter Grinder as Senior Editors. Leonard Liggio is the President of the Institute for Humane Studies and is a historian of French classical liberal thought and an expert in diplomatic history. Walter Grinder is the Institute’s Director of Academic Affairs and he brings to the Humane Studies Review a detailed knowledge of Austrian economics, the history of government-business relations, and the sociology of the state. Both men have profound knowledge of, and appreciation for, all aspects of the classical liberal tradition. Their insights, advice, and encouragement have helped many students and scholars of liberty over the years. We believe their particular expertise in such diverse but interrelated fields will greatly contribute to the quality and scope of the Review.

Also with this issue we begin a series on “The Basic Tenets of Real Liberalism.” Real Liberalism is not just a political and economic philosophy but a complex and all-encompassing social theory as well. It has profound things to say about the individual and his or her fundamental rights, at one end of the scale, and the largest and most intricate network of social and economic relations imaginable, at the other. Few theories are as embracing in their scope or as attentive to the importance of the individual as real liberalism. We hope this series of short articles will give the reader some flavor of its variety and its power in integrating and interpreting social and economic phenomena.

Also in future issues, we will be continuing the “Outline of a History of Libertarian Thought” and George Smith’s article on “Natural Rights.”