Series Introduction
The Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers series aims to show that there is a rigorous, scholarly tradition of social and political thought that may be broadly described as ‘conservative’, ‘libertarian’ or some combination of the two.
The series aims to show that conservatism is not simply a reaction against contemporary events, nor a privileging of intuitive thought over deductive reasoning; libertarianism is not simply an apology for unfettered capitalism or an attempt to justify a misguided atomistic concept of the individual. Rather, the thinkers in this series have developed coherent intellectual positions that are grounded in empirical reality and also founded upon serious philosophical reflection on the relationship between the individual and society, how the social institutions necessary for a free society are to be established and maintained, and the implications of the limits to human knowledge and certainty.
Each volume in the series presents a thinker’s ideas in an accessible and cogent manner to provide an indispensable work for both students with varying degrees of familiarity with the topic as well as more advanced scholars.
The following twenty volumes that make up the entire Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers series are written by international scholars and experts.
- The Salamanca School by Andre Azevedo Alves and José Manuel Moreira
- Thomas Hobbes by R. E. R. Bunce
- John Locke by Eric Mack
- David Hume by Christopher J. Berry
- Adam Smith by James Otteson
- Edmund Burke by Dennis O’Keeffe
- Alexis de Tocqueville by Alan S. Kahan
- Herbert Spencer by Alberto Mingardi
- Ludwig von Mises by Richard Ebeling
- Joseph A. Schumpeter by John Medearis
- F. A. Hayek by Adam Tebble
- Michael Oakeshott by Edmund Neill
- Karl Popper by Phil Parvin
- Ayn Rand by Mimi Gladstein
- Milton Friedman by William Ruger
- Russell Kirk by John Pafford
- James M. Buchanan by John Meadowcroft
- The Modern Papacy by Samuel Gregg
- Murray Rothbard by Gerard Casey
- Robert Nozick by Ralf Bader
Of course, in any series of this nature, choices have to be made as to which thinkers to include and which to leave out. Two of the thinkers in the series – F. A. Hayek and James M. Buchanan – have written explicit statements rejecting the label ‘conservative’. Similarly, other thinkers, such as David Hume and Karl Popper, may be more accurately described as classical liberals than either conservatives or libertarians. But these thinkers have been included because a full appreciation of this particular tradition of thought would be impossible without their inclusion; conservative and libertarian thought cannot be fully understood without some knowledge of the intellectual contributions of Hume, Hayek, Popper and Buchanan, among others. While no list of conservative and libertarian thinkers can be perfect, then, it is hoped that the volumes in this series come as close as possible to providing a comprehensive account of the key contributors to this particular tradition.
John Meadowcroft
King’s College London
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