Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law0

Thinkers like John Locke proposed an entirely new basis for the legitimacy of governments, a clean break with the rule of force, faith, and custom that had been the basis for government from the beginning of history. Locke himself argued that there was a right to revolution if a terrible ruler could not be removed by other means, and fled his native country after he was implicated in a plot to kill the king. He could only safely return in the company of an invading army.

This book shows how a philosophy that says we are all born our own masters revolutionized the way we think about issues from government to marriage, and how we take this revolution for granted at our peril. We live in a time of unprecedented wealth, scientific knowledge, and cultural attainment, but fail to understand what brought us these things, and could lose them if we don't defend them.