Excursions
From Optimism to Pessimism: The Case of Herbert Spencer, Part 4
George H. Smith discusses Spencer’s theory of social progress, while calling attention to some of its theoretical problems.
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George H. Smith
George H. Smith was formerly Senior Research Fellow for the Institute for Humane Studies, a lecturer on American History for Cato Summer Seminars, and Executive Editor of Knowledge Products. Smith's fourth and most recent book, The System of Liberty, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2013.
Excursions
From Optimism to Pessimism: The Case of Herbert Spencer, Part 1
George H. Smith begins his series on Spencer’s pessimistic outlook on the future of freedom and the reasons behind it.
Excursions
Jeremy Bentham’s Attack on Natural Rights
George H. Smith discusses the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham and why it so alarmed the defenders of natural rights.
Excursions
Independence Day: What is There to Celebrate?
The ideal of individual freedom is more than a will-o’-the-wisp. It was widely appreciated in the past and so may become widely appreciated in the future.
Excursions
Fingering the King on the Road to Independence
The Coercive Acts led Americans to blame the king for the conspiracy to strip them of their rights and liberties.
Excursions
The Coercive Acts and Their Theoretical Significance
The Coercive Acts—the British response to the Boston Tea Party—was the true catalyst that led to the American Revolution.
Excursions
The Boston Tea Party
The British response to the Boston Tea Party stiffened American resolve for revolution. George Smith tells the story of that event.
Excursions
Committees of Correspondence and the Road to American Independence
The story of the American Revolution’s prelude continues with the emergence of Committees of Correspondence among the colonists.
Excursions
A Misunderstanding, the Townshend Act, and More Trouble in the American Colonies
George H. Smith uses some of the crucial events that led to the American Revolution as background to explain the theory of resistance and revolution that emerged.
Excursions
The Sons of Liberty and Resistance to the Stamp Act, Part Two
George H. Smith turns his attention to events after the Boston riots. As violence spread throughout the colonies, America moved ever closer to revolution.
Excursions
“Liberty and Property!” The Sons of Liberty and Resistance to the Stamp Act Part 1
George H. Smith recounts the violent reaction to the Stamp Act, a tax on paper goods levied against the American colonies in 1765.
Excursions
Americans with Attitudes: Smuggling in Colonial America
George H. Smith explores America’s proud history of smuggling in the colonies—and the disastrous attempts by the British to put an end to it.
Excursions
Freethought and Freedom: Miracles and Edward Gibbon
George H. Smith explains why Edward Gibbon rejected miraculous accounts in his masterpiece, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Excursions
State and Society, Part 1
George H. Smith discusses some preliminary issues involved in the classic libertarian distinction between the spheres of “state” and “society.”
Excursions
Among My Favorites: History of Civilization in England, by H. T. Buckle, Part 3
George H. Smith explores Buckle’s claim that the “protective spirit” of governments has hindered the progress of civilization.
Excursions
Among My Favorites: History of Civilization in England, by H. T. Buckle, Part 2
George H. Smith discusses Buckle’s stress on the importance of ideas in the progress of civilization.
Excursions
Among My Favorites: History of Civilization in England, by H. T. Buckle, Part 1
George H. Smith begins his discussion of one of the most libertarian works on history ever written.
Excursions
Notes on Persecution and Toleration in the History of Christianity
George H. Smith explores some of the traditional biblical arguments for and against religious persecution.