OM DENNE EPISODE
Plato's Republic is regarded by many as the foundational text in the history of western political philosophy. Yet with its totalitarian and communistic "ideal" or "noble" city at its heart, the Republic might seem to contain little of value to the libertarian. A careful reading of the opening two books of the work, however, shows Plato wrestling with a number of issues of critical libertarian interest: the antithesis of persuasion and coercion as forms of social relation, the ruler as in the employ of the ruled, a rejection of the principle of might-makes-right, the origins of the political community in economic need and voluntary exchange, and more. This paper surveys the opening two books of Plato's Republic, highlighting its insights, and also some of its confusions, from a libertarian perspective.
George Buchanan was a late 16th-century Scottish Reformed thinker who used Scripture, history, and the natural law to argue for the restraint of civil rulers, the resistance to tyranny, and the freedom of Christian citizens. Like its namesake, the George Buchanan Forum is a community of liberty-minded Christians seeking to integrate theology, political theory, economics, and history.
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