Classical liberalism gets a bad rap these days. The right attacks it as self-centred hedonism, while the left accuses it of selfish egoism. Classical liberals, critics say, elevate liberty to the status of the highest good and misguidedly prioritize freedom as an end in itself.
While prevalent, these critiques miss the mark, writes Montreal Economic Institute president and CEO Michel Kelly-Gagnon in his Spring 2021 President’s Essay.
“They misunderstand what classical liberalism, and our concern for liberty, is ultimately about. We don’t value liberty purely as an end in itself and we don’t simply value liberty because we are nothing but libertines. Classical liberalism rests, I think, on a much more foundational and important insight about the central role liberty plays in enabling us to lead good, fulfilling, and meaningful lives. Being free does not, by itself, give us meaning or happiness. But we cannot truly lead good and meaningful lives in the absence of liberty.”
Freedom as a prerequisite for the good life has deep roots, drawing on the ancient writings of philosophers such as Plato who intrinsically connected freedom to justice, Gagnon outlines. We need the freedom to engage in moral exploration in order to discover what is just. And given the varied nature of our diverse selves, this in turn confers dignity upon each and every individual.
“Giving people the freedom to govern and shape their own lives ultimately means giving both political and moral primacy to the individual. The classical liberal defence of the individual is not about defending amoral self-interest; it’s about recognizing that freedom and dignity are inseparable from our status as individuals,” Gagnon argues.
This, despite the critiques that may be leveled against the concept, is worth protecting and cherishing, he concludes.
