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Fearing Freedom: The Intellectual and Spiritual Challenge to Liberalism

Originally published in SSRN

In “The Soul of Classical Liberalism” (2000), James Buchanan argues that modern advocates of the liberal order must move beyond the mid-20th century project of “saving the books” and “saving the ideas” and instead embrace the challenge of “saving the soul” of liberalism. The prospects for establishing a genuine liberal order turn on capturing the intellectual imagination of a significant segment of the population. This paper examines the themes Buchanan raises in three essays that focus our attention on these critical issues; they are “The Potential and Limits of Socially Organized Humankind” (1988); “The Soul of Classical Liberalism” (2000); and “Afraid to Be Free” (2005).

In “The Soul of Classical Liberalism” (2000), James Buchanan argues that modern advocates of the liberal order must move beyond the mid-20th century project of “saving the books” and “saving the ideas” and instead embrace the challenge of “saving the soul” of liberalism. The prospects for establishing a genuine liberal order turn on capturing the intellectual imagination of a significant segment of the population. This paper examines the themes Buchanan raises in three essays that focus our attention on these critical issues; they are “The Potential and Limits of Socially Organized Humankind” (1988); “The Soul of Classical Liberalism” (2000); and “Afraid to Be Free” (2005).