Reclaiming Liberalism and Other Essays on Personal and Economic Freedom

"Ari Armstrong stands in the best tradition of classical liberalism: firm in his convictions, open to rational persuasion, willing to admit when he doesn't know, willing to insist on what he does know, and willing to defend to the death his right-and the right of every person-to know and understand through reason. In a climate of pervasive irrationality, Armstrong's writing is a glimpse of a better world, a world of reason and freedom, that's open to all of us if we're willing." -Timothy Sandefur, author of The Permission Society

From "Reclaiming Liberalism": "To effectively advance their cause, true liberals-people who in fact advocate liberty in all affairs, personal and economic-must reclaim the mantle of liberalism. The authoritarians, the statists, the collectivists who stole the term liberalism from its rightful heirs must be stripped of their rhetorical masks and exposed for what they are: enemies of human freedom."

Reclaiming Liberalism and Other Essays on Personal and Economic Freedom brings together the title essay plus thirty-two others. "Reclaiming Liberalism" examines the meaning of the term liberal, linking it to the tradition of individual rights; explains why genuine liberals should not let statists steal their rightful title; and distinguishes liberalism from conservatism and libertarianism. Other essays, published over previous years, explore the lure of utopia; defend equality before the law, not of outcomes; champion freedom of speech; defend capitalism; critique the nanny state; and address other critical issues of our times.

Contents:

1. Reclaiming Liberalism

Liberalism Pertains to Liberty

The Incoherence of Conservatism

Conservatism, Utopianism, and Liberalism

Liberalism as Radical and Rational

The Problem with Left and Right

The Long-Term Reclamation of Liberalism

Why Not Libertarianism?

Renewing the Fight for Liberty

2. Utopia and Totalitarianism

The Irrationality of Neil deGrasse Tyson's Rationalia

Sam Harris's Collectivist Politics

3. Liberty and Equality

"You Didn't Build That"-Obama's Ode to Envy

The Justice of Income Inequality Under Capitalism

Egalitarianism versus Rational Morality on Income Inequality

Challenging the Inequality Narrative

An Aristotelian Account of Responsibility and Luck

A Parable for Thomas Piketty

4. Capitalism

Contra Occupiers, Profits Embody Justice

Sparking a Free Market Revolution

The Fruits of Capitalism Are All Around Us

5. Freedom of Speech

A Lesson on Censorship

When Politics Corrupts Money

Why Forcibly Limiting Campaign Spending is Censorship

The Egalitarian Assault on Free Speech

Campaign Laws Throw Common Sense Out the Window

Ruling Furthers Free Speech

6. Welfare and Taxes

Questioning the Welfare State

The Integrity of Condemning Social Security While Collecting It

Nation Needs Shared Liberty, Not Sacrifice

The Crucial Distinction Between Subsidies and Tax Cuts

7. Liberty for Producers

The Moral Case Against Minimum Wage Laws

The Morality of Unequal Pay for Unequal Work

Hobby Lobby and Equal Rights

On the Right Not to Bake a Cake

Businessmen Should Never "Put Moral Judgments Aside"

Religious Freedom Laws vs. Equal Protection of Rights

8. Immigration

Amnesty for Rights-Respecting Illegal Immigrants

A Rights-Respecting Immigration Policy

9. The Nanny State

Government Destroys Buckyballs, Assaults the Mind

Should Prostitution Be legal?

Morality and Sanity Demand an End to Drug Prohibition

10. Coda