Freedom and Tradition: An Introduction to Classical Liberalism and Conservatism A Course with Professor Thomas Patrick Burke Fall 2006 Properly speaking, the correct term for “classical liberalism” is simply “liberalism.” Outside of the U.S., the word “liberal” everywhere, including other English-speaking countries such as England and Australia, means just what …(Read More)

Freedom and Tradition: An Introduction to Classical Liberalism and Conservatism A Course with Professor Thomas Patrick Burke Fall 2006 Historical Background The idea of a free society in our modern sense of the term emerged first in England in the 17th century, a product of the English Enlightenment. Why it …(Read More)

Freedom and Tradition: An Introduction to Classical Liberalism and Conservatism A Course with Professor Thomas Patrick Burke Fall 2006 Letter Concerning Toleration During the same year that parliament passed the Act of Toleration, the English philosopher John Locke published, anonymously and in Latin, his Letter Concerning Toleration, which he had written …(Read More)

Freedom and Tradition: An Introduction to Classical Liberalism and Conservatism A Course with Professor Thomas Patrick Burke Fall 2006 The publication in 1776 of Adam Smith’s book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nationsbrought about a revolution in the economic life of the human race which …(Read More)

Freedom and Tradition: An Introduction to Classical Liberalism and Conservatism A Course with Professor Thomas Patrick Burke Fall 2006 Freedom of thought, freedom of conscience and freedom of speech have been a consequence of freedom of religion. As we have seen, this made its appearance on the stage of history …(Read More)

Freedom and Tradition: An Introduction to Classical Liberalism and Conservatism A Course with Professor Thomas Patrick Burke Fall 2006 With this lecture we turn from classical liberalism to conservatism, and to the man generally recognized as the father of conservatism as a philosophy in the English-speaking world. The differences between …(Read More)