The Passion for Liberty

In The Passion for Liberty, Tibor R. Machan defends a libertarian conception of a free society, one in which individuals are sovereign, self-governing beings, not subject to others' will without their consent. In the tradition of John Locke, Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and Robert Nozick, Machan argues that such a society—far from being hedonistic, licentious, or disorderly—is the best possible ideal for humans. In doing so, he addresses specific issues such as affirmative action, abortion, military intervention, and torture in light of the relationship between liberty and democracy. As freedom takes on a new urgency, The Passion for Liberty reminds us of the importance of individual liberty and why it needs to be defended.