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