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Free Liberal: Coordinating towards higher values

Free Liberal

Coordinating towards higher values

Editor's Notes: Liberty and Community

Dear Readers,
It has been some time since the Free Liberal went to press, and for that I apologize. But, we’ve been working to build a stronger organization so that we can continue spreading our unique set of ideas amongst the politically-minded community.

In the last few weeks, we have founded the Center for Liberty and Community, a non-profit organization, to assume responsibility for the Free Liberal and its message. We are in the process of applying for our corporate charter from the state of Virginia and we will seek 501(c3) status from the IRS.

Liberty and Community

We thought it was important to capture our multi-variable outlook in the organization’s name. “Liberty and community” represents that we value both the individual and his or her ability to live freely, and the importance of community life. As I’ve said before, I see no contradiction between the promotion of individual freedom and community well-being.

The Center will work to promote this idea of “free liberalism” as well as the publication that bears its name. There are still many questions about what a free liberal is, after all.

I had an interesting e-mail conversation with a journalist who writes about economics and politics. She asked me, “How do ‘Free Liberals’ like you view the solution to problems of public welfare, environment, education, community-oriented behavior and egalitarianism, and yet remain within the smaller-government model?”

This is an interesting question and goes to the heart of our differences with libertarians who place an emphasis on individual rights and social liberals who place an emphasis on community well-being. We do not deny the values of either, we seek to synergize their values and come up with an even stronger philosophy.

Libertarians are fond of making the argument that moral perfection lies in the minimization of the state. The litmus test of any action or idea becomes whether or not the state was involved. If it was, it must be bad. If the state wasn’t involved, then it must be good. It seems to me that is a narrow and colorless view of life.

Government (or rather “limited government”) is one means of constraining the passions of men to allow for a free-market economy and a peaceable and prosperous society.  A free liberal would see the government as one means to secure liberty so that people can pursue the varied and complex values in which they are interested.

By contrast, social liberals often seem to argue that nothing good can happen without the state and that environmental protection, equality, community standards, etc are incompatible with a philosophy of liberty.  But, these are the very reasons we ought to be in favor of liberty! I think the reason we see liberty and community as opposites is because the advocates of so-called community are so apt to run to authoritarian systems such as state-socialism, neo-Marxism and religionism to both promote and support their worldviews.

To help us see synergies rather than wallowing in the liberty versus community dichotomy, here are several ideas I associate with “Free Liberalism.”

1.”Libertarian Utilitarianism”: Free Liberals recognize that preserving individual liberty leads to greater wealth, innovation, charity, and other aspects of the community well-being.

2. “Integral Worldview”: The ability of society to move forward to better and happier life experiences of its members is not just based on its political structure but on the values and actions of individuals, the strengths of its social institutions and its life, community and liberty supporting cultural norms and morals.  Moreover, political action toward greater liberty will likely fail in the absence of those morals.  As Ron Paul says, “Only a moral society can adapt itself to liberty.”

3. “Individual Action”: Free Liberals engage in honest intellectual thinking about the hard issues that face their communities and attempt to act on their conclusions.  Free Liberals provide charity, find environmental solutions, practice social responsibility, and engage in community-oriented behavior.  Free Liberals treat others as they would wish to be treated -- as equals, as human beings.  Free Liberals further encourage their friends, families, colleagues, and other community members to engage in similar hard-thinking, entrepreneurial and charitable behavior.

4. “Decentralization”: Free Liberals work to move decision-making processes closer towards the individual.  For instance, it is not necessary to be against all forms of welfare, by moving them from the federal government down to the states, and then to communities, closer and closer to the individual, the programs will better approximate the needs of individuals and communities.  This also applies to the management of businesses and all other forms of social organization.

5. “Anti-Bureaucracy”: Free Liberals dislike inefficient bureaucracy in business just as they do in government.  How many of the “problems” the busybodies in government are trying to solve could be avoided if individuals had worked to implement practices in the business world that were more humane, more efficient and ecologically sensitive? How many people’s lives could be improved by simply receiving more respectful treatment in their workplaces?

6. “Thinking at the margin”: Many libertarians argue vociferously for ‘economic thinking’ – which implies an analysis of tradeoffs. But, often, libertarian arguments assume that tradeoffs come as “all or nothing” decisions. Accepting one small bit of government equals accepting every big government idea. This thinking leaves two choices – all government or all liberty. Which side are you on?

A better way to look at our tradeoffs is to see what an additional bit of government costs us in terms of our liberty. And also, what does another bit of liberty cost in terms of other values we might pursue? This marginal analysis allows us to choose not just between “all or nothing” but a wide variety of combinations and possibilities.

Stating these values and ways of thinking still does not answer every tough question that may come our way. However, by not assuming an overly simplistic philosophy, we get to take a fresh look at the data, and ask ourselves the questions again. We might see how the light of many different ideas from different perspectives can cause the shadows of Plato’s cave of ignorance to fade and even disappear.

James Turner said recently in an e-mail to the center’s board of directors:
The free liberal opportunity... addresses the folly of organizing current political thought and action around either the left-right spectrum or the small v large government continuum. Instead, it takes these two popular clichés and replaces them with a more textured context, as a way of addressing the concerns of, and providing a political space for, the increasingly large number of individuals who find current political discourse lacking in relevance. This message might resonate with virtually everyone.

I look forward to working with our growing organization to expand and clarify the Free Liberal philosophy.

Cheers,

Kevin D. Rollins
Editor



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