A Brief History of Liberty

A Brief History of Liberty utilizes a fusion of philosophical, social scientific, and historical methodologies to provide a comprehensive, philosophically-informed history of the culture of liberty in practice. This work: offers a succinct yet thorough survey of personal freedom; explores the true meaning of liberty, drawing philosophical lessons about liberty from history; considers the writings of key historical figures from Socrates and Erasmus to Hobbes, Locke, Marx, and Adam Smith; combines philosophical rigor with social scientific analysis; and, argues that liberty refers to a range of related but specific ideas rather than limiting the concept to one definition.