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Freedom in context: A review essay of The Dialectics of Liberty

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  • Alexander W. Craig

    (Beloit College)

Abstract

The contributors to The Dialectics of Liberty demonstrate that libertarians can engage in a careful context-sensitive analysis of social behavior and political ideals. The book refutes the notion that libertarians must be insensitive to nuances in social environments and reliant on a woefully oversimplified conception of individuals, businesses, and governments. In this review, I first discuss the nature of dialectics, making explicit the mostly implicit definition running between the chapters of The Dialectics. I then summarize several of the chapters, synthesizing from them generalizable lessons about what Austrian economists and classical liberal scholars more generally can learn by being mindful of social context, synthesizing disparate ideas, and transcending dichotomies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander W. Craig, 2024. "Freedom in context: A review essay of The Dialectics of Liberty," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 213-224, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:revaec:v:37:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11138-022-00590-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11138-022-00590-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Emily Chamlee-Wright, 2008. "The Structure of Social Capital: An Austrian Perspective on its Nature and Development," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 41-58.
    2. Richard E. Wagner, 2014. "Entangled Political Economy: A Keynote Address," Advances in Austrian Economics, in: Entangled Political Economy, volume 18, pages 15-36, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    3. R. G. Lipsey & Kelvin Lancaster, 1956. "The General Theory of Second Best," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 24(1), pages 11-32.
    4. Virgil Henry Storr & Stefanie Haeffele-Balch & Laura E. Grube, 2015. "Community Revival in the Wake of Disaster," Perspectives from Social Economics, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-31489-5, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dialectics; libertarianism; methodology; political philosophy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • B4 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology
    • B53 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Austrian
    • Y3 - Miscellaneous Categories - - Book Reviews
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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