Liberalism.org
@liberalism.org
An online magazine for free and open people. Powered by @theihs.org
Pinned
Liberalism.org
@liberalism.org
· Mar 12
Introducing Liberalism.org — Renewing the Liberal Tradition
YouTube video by Liberalismorg
youtu.be
Liberalism is both under threat and at a turning point.
It must be argued for, refined, and renewed.
Today, we begin the work.
It must be argued for, refined, and renewed.
Today, we begin the work.
Liberalism is the only worldview that has actually delivered both material progress and moral restraint. Jason Kuznicki [ jkuznicki.bsky.social ] on why liberalism should not follow its critics by narrowly defining “civilization:" www.liberalism.org/p/liberalism...
Liberalism and Civilization
In defense of a word. And a worldview.
www.liberalism.org
September 23, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Liberalism is the only worldview that has actually delivered both material progress and moral restraint. Jason Kuznicki [ jkuznicki.bsky.social ] on why liberalism should not follow its critics by narrowly defining “civilization:" www.liberalism.org/p/liberalism...
Today is the 164th anniversary of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
This powerful line from Frederick Douglass carries historical weight in the American liberal canon.
This powerful line from Frederick Douglass carries historical weight in the American liberal canon.
September 22, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Today is the 164th anniversary of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
This powerful line from Frederick Douglass carries historical weight in the American liberal canon.
This powerful line from Frederick Douglass carries historical weight in the American liberal canon.
"I don't really think men have come to terms [with female agency]. You had a generation, or many generations, where one of the requirements for accessing elite spaces was to be male."
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
September 22, 2026 at 1:01 PM
"I don't really think men have come to terms [with female agency]. You had a generation, or many generations, where one of the requirements for accessing elite spaces was to be male."
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
"You have Gen Xers who are about even, millennials where you see women outpace men in educational attainment by a decent amount, and then Gen Z where the split is huge."
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
September 18, 2026 at 2:02 PM
"You have Gen Xers who are about even, millennials where you see women outpace men in educational attainment by a decent amount, and then Gen Z where the split is huge."
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
The wealthy don't just compete in markets. @mattzwolinski.bsky.social on why classical liberals can no longer afford to look away from what concentrated wealth does to political power.
www.liberalism.org/p/the-power-...
www.liberalism.org/p/the-power-...
The Power of Wealth
In every political system, wealthy and powerful people will try to write the rules to favor themselves. Liberal democracies should use a range of policy tools to resist elite capture.
www.liberalism.org
September 17, 2026 at 7:01 PM
The wealthy don't just compete in markets. @mattzwolinski.bsky.social on why classical liberals can no longer afford to look away from what concentrated wealth does to political power.
www.liberalism.org/p/the-power-...
www.liberalism.org/p/the-power-...
"There was a survey that came out...Men prioritizing starting families. Women prioritizing career advancement. Not just different political preferences but different preferences about big life events."
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
September 17, 2026 at 1:13 PM
"There was a survey that came out...Men prioritizing starting families. Women prioritizing career advancement. Not just different political preferences but different preferences about big life events."
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
— @zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
Jeffery Tyler Syck explains why Jefferson’s liberalism led him to choose three achievements for his tombstone: the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the University of Virginia.
www.liberalism.org/p/jefferson-...
www.liberalism.org/p/jefferson-...
Jefferson’s Liberal Morals
The Moral Sense Can Always Err. That’s Why It Must Be Exercised.
www.liberalism.org
September 16, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Jeffery Tyler Syck explains why Jefferson’s liberalism led him to choose three achievements for his tombstone: the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the University of Virginia.
www.liberalism.org/p/jefferson-...
www.liberalism.org/p/jefferson-...
Liberals are good at criticizing the state. Michael Munger on why that is not the same thing as having a theory of what the state is actually for.
www.liberalism.org/p/yours-mine...
www.liberalism.org/p/yours-mine...
Yours, Mine, or Ours? Liberals Need a Theory of the State
Economist Michael Munger outlines how public goods may be provided with little or no state involvement. Private road associations are viable, and better tolling technology lessens the need for state…
www.liberalism.org
September 15, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Liberals are good at criticizing the state. Michael Munger on why that is not the same thing as having a theory of what the state is actually for.
www.liberalism.org/p/yours-mine...
www.liberalism.org/p/yours-mine...
Costly taxes and regulations can lead to illicit markets. Jacob Grier shows how tobacco taxes and vape bans hand the market to gangs and smugglers rather than end nicotine use.
www.liberalism.org/p/when-tobac...
www.liberalism.org/p/when-tobac...
When Tobacco Is Illicit
Restrictions and prohibitions are now affecting the demand for nicotine in the same ways that are found in markets for illicit drugs.
www.liberalism.org
September 14, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Costly taxes and regulations can lead to illicit markets. Jacob Grier shows how tobacco taxes and vape bans hand the market to gangs and smugglers rather than end nicotine use.
www.liberalism.org/p/when-tobac...
www.liberalism.org/p/when-tobac...
Vincent Geloso uses America's lighthouses as a case study in how nationalizing industries acts as a redistributive engine for rent-seeking interests.
www.liberalism.org/p/why-states...
www.liberalism.org/p/why-states...
Why States Nationalize
Economists have many answers, but the truth may be larger than they know.
www.liberalism.org
September 11, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Vincent Geloso uses America's lighthouses as a case study in how nationalizing industries acts as a redistributive engine for rent-seeking interests.
www.liberalism.org/p/why-states...
www.liberalism.org/p/why-states...
"I don't think we do enough work talking about the moral effects of regulations. I'm talking about things like the way that Medicare and Medicaid interact with certificate of need laws."
—Lauren Hall
—Lauren Hall
September 10, 2026 at 11:06 PM
"I don't think we do enough work talking about the moral effects of regulations. I'm talking about things like the way that Medicare and Medicaid interact with certificate of need laws."
—Lauren Hall
—Lauren Hall
The Romans had a word for the kind of approval-seeking on display in Washington today: “ambitio.” Tom G. Palmer on how the hunger for a strongman's approval has always been the enemy of self-government.
www.liberalism.org/p/ambition-c...
www.liberalism.org/p/ambition-c...
Ambition, Character, and Liberty
Roman moralists mistrusted ambition, which they connected to bribery and flattery. The powerful men around President Donald Trump show the dangers of ambition in its classical sense.
www.liberalism.org
September 10, 2026 at 2:01 PM
The Romans had a word for the kind of approval-seeking on display in Washington today: “ambitio.” Tom G. Palmer on how the hunger for a strongman's approval has always been the enemy of self-government.
www.liberalism.org/p/ambition-c...
www.liberalism.org/p/ambition-c...
Michael Munger argues that liberalism survives not by establishing rules that settle questions in advance, but by relearning how to exercise humility and toleration in judgment. www.liberalism.org/p/liberalism...
Liberalism Under Threat
Militant democracy proposes to save liberalism from its foes. Can it work as promised?
www.liberalism.org
September 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Michael Munger argues that liberalism survives not by establishing rules that settle questions in advance, but by relearning how to exercise humility and toleration in judgment. www.liberalism.org/p/liberalism...
"I think Angela Davis and others overstate the degree to which that [legalized penal servitude] is the driving thing that's undermining Reconstruction."
—Damon Root
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
—Damon Root
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
September 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM
"I think Angela Davis and others overstate the degree to which that [legalized penal servitude] is the driving thing that's undermining Reconstruction."
—Damon Root
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
—Damon Root
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
Virtue signaling gets dismissed as cheap and performative. Sarah Skwire on why that contempt may be one of liberalism's most self-defeating habits.
www.liberalism.org/p/bite-by-bi...
www.liberalism.org/p/bite-by-bi...
Bite by Bite: The Value of Virtue Signaling
Don’t discount the effectiveness of a cheap signal.
www.liberalism.org
September 8, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Virtue signaling gets dismissed as cheap and performative. Sarah Skwire on why that contempt may be one of liberalism's most self-defeating habits.
www.liberalism.org/p/bite-by-bi...
www.liberalism.org/p/bite-by-bi...
"Lincoln is not an abolitionist, but he is anti-slavery. He is opposed to slavery on moral and political grounds, but also argues what he can do as president in 1861 is quite limited. "
-Damon Root
-Damon Root
September 3, 2026 at 1:50 PM
"Lincoln is not an abolitionist, but he is anti-slavery. He is opposed to slavery on moral and political grounds, but also argues what he can do as president in 1861 is quite limited. "
-Damon Root
-Damon Root
Property rights were a central focus of the early liberal tradition, and Ilya Somin shows how they continue to ground the freedoms of speech, worship, work, and privacy today.
www.liberalism.org/p/private-pr...
www.liberalism.org/p/private-pr...
Private Property: For Abundance and Diversity
The right to hold and use property enriches and protects us all.
www.liberalism.org
September 2, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Property rights were a central focus of the early liberal tradition, and Ilya Somin shows how they continue to ground the freedoms of speech, worship, work, and privacy today.
www.liberalism.org/p/private-pr...
www.liberalism.org/p/private-pr...
"If we're going to start incorporating new technologies... if we're really going to keep up with the progress that is happening in healthcare, maybe we need to start saying we're going to deregulate you [healthcare providers] so that you can do everything you're trained to do."
—Alicia Plemmons
—Alicia Plemmons
September 1, 2026 at 2:01 PM
"If we're going to start incorporating new technologies... if we're really going to keep up with the progress that is happening in healthcare, maybe we need to start saying we're going to deregulate you [healthcare providers] so that you can do everything you're trained to do."
—Alicia Plemmons
—Alicia Plemmons
Liberalism has faced existential crises before, and Joshua Cherniss argues the thinkers who navigated the last one still have something urgent to teach us.
www.liberalism.org/p/the-hard-w...
www.liberalism.org/p/the-hard-w...
The Hard-Won Lessons of Cold War Liberalism
Twentieth-century liberal intellectuals stood firm against the totalizing ideologies of left and right. Their insights remain valuable today.
www.liberalism.org
August 31, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Liberalism has faced existential crises before, and Joshua Cherniss argues the thinkers who navigated the last one still have something urgent to teach us.
www.liberalism.org/p/the-hard-w...
www.liberalism.org/p/the-hard-w...
The national security argument for tariffs skips a step that actually matters. Adam Millsap explains what policymakers are leaving out of the calculation.
www.liberalism.org/p/the-nation...
www.liberalism.org/p/the-nation...
The National Security Externality Can’t Justify Recent Tariffs
National security may justify some kinds of tariffs—in theory. In practice, it’s another story.
www.liberalism.org
August 28, 2026 at 4:51 PM
The national security argument for tariffs skips a step that actually matters. Adam Millsap explains what policymakers are leaving out of the calculation.
www.liberalism.org/p/the-nation...
www.liberalism.org/p/the-nation...
"So, if what we are doing now challenges all 4 of the primary, ethical principles that our medical system is based on, that seems to me to be a real problem."
—Lauren Hall
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
—Lauren Hall
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
August 27, 2026 at 2:56 PM
"So, if what we are doing now challenges all 4 of the primary, ethical principles that our medical system is based on, that seems to me to be a real problem."
—Lauren Hall
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
—Lauren Hall
Listen to the full episode: www.liberalism.org/podcast/s/li...
Political coalitions are built to win, but @janetbufton.ca argues the cost of belonging to one is something liberals rarely stop to calculate.
www.liberalism.org/p/tribes-coa...
www.liberalism.org/p/tribes-coa...
Tribes, Coalitions, Parties
A theory of how political organizations form, cooperate, rise, and decline.
www.liberalism.org
August 26, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Political coalitions are built to win, but @janetbufton.ca argues the cost of belonging to one is something liberals rarely stop to calculate.
www.liberalism.org/p/tribes-coa...
www.liberalism.org/p/tribes-coa...
The appeal of simple political principles is real, and @mattzwolinski.bsky.social argues it is also where the trouble begins.
www.liberalism.org/p/not-so-obv...
www.liberalism.org/p/not-so-obv...
Not So Obvious, Not So Simple
When you hear that good politics is always simple, think twice.
www.liberalism.org
August 24, 2026 at 6:19 PM
The appeal of simple political principles is real, and @mattzwolinski.bsky.social argues it is also where the trouble begins.
www.liberalism.org/p/not-so-obv...
www.liberalism.org/p/not-so-obv...