Is Classical Liberalism Still Vital?
What do classical liberal scholars see as the main challenges confronting their movement? What do classical liberals think they should emphasize in order to win more adherents in the battle of ideas? How can their intellectual gains best be translated into practical gains in the real world? The questions are timely because despite the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the abandonment of collectivist economic planning in the 1990s, classical liberalism must overcome an uninspiring political pragmatism that has contributed to a resurgence of statism and further entrenchment of special-interest groups. For classical liberals to strengthen their public following, reverse the trend toward statism and promote liberty, they should articulate a moral vision as compelling as that of the early classical liberals antislavery campaigns, argues Nobel Prize winning economist James M. Buchanan, in chapter 1, The Soul of Classical Liberalism. Dwight R. Lee replies to Buchanan in chapter 2, Economics wit
