Advanced Topics in Liberty

Moral Foundations of Liberty

Conference for Students - February 10-12, 2012

Discussion Leader: Scott Beaulier

Session 1:        Social Cooperation

Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Volume I. Edited by R. H. Campbell and A. S. Skinner. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, Inc., 1976.

• “Of the Division of Labour” p. 13-24
• “Of the Principle which gives occasion to the Division of Labour” p. 25-30
• “That the Division of Labour is limited by the Extent of the Market” p. 31-36

von Mises, Ludwig. Human Action: A Treatise on Economics, Volume 1. Edited by Bettina Bien Greaves. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2007. 

• “Human Cooperation” p. 143-145
• “The Ricardian Law of Association” p. 159-164

 

Session 2:        Social Interests, Individual Interests

Smith, Adam. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Edited by D. D. Raphael and A. L. Macfie. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, Inc., 1976.

• Part III, Chapter 1 "Of the Principle of Self-approbation and of Self-disapprobation" p. 109-113
• Chapter 2 "Of the love of Praise, and the of Praise-worthiness; and of the dread of Blame, and that of Blame-worthiness" p. 113-134
• Part III, Chapter 3 "Of the Influence and Authority of Conscience" p. 134-156
• Chapter 4 "Of the Nature of Self-deceit and of the Origin and Use of general Rules" p. 156-161

 

Session 3:        Order and the Individual 

Hayek, F. A. Law, Legislation and Liberty, Volume 1: Rules and Order [Phoenix Edition]. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973, 1978.

• "Introduction" p. 1-7
• "Reason and Evolution" (selections) p.8-24
• "Cosmos and Taxis" p. 35-54

 

 Session 4:       The Morality of Markets

Acton, H. B. “The Ethics of Competition,” The Morals of Markets and Related Essays. Edited by David Gordon and Jeremy Shearmur. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, Inc., 1993. p. 67-98

Hazlitt, Henry. The Foundations of Morality (Third Edition). Irvington-on-Hudson: Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., 1998. Chapter 8, “The Need for General Rules” (pages 53–61) and Chapter 9, “Ethics and Law” (pages 62–69)

 

Session 5:        Liberty and Development 

North, Douglass C. “Institutions, Ideology, and Economic Performance.” Cato Journal 11, no. 3 (Winter 1992): 477–488.

Easterly, William and Ross Levine. “Africa’s Growth Tragedy: Policies and Ethnic Divisions.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 112, no. 4 (November 1997): 1203–1250.

 

Session 6:        Private Property and Civil Society

Locke, John. “Of Property” Second Treatise of Government. p. 215-238

Alchian, Armen A. & Harold Demsetz. “The Property Rights Paradigm.” Journal of Economic History 33, no. 1 (March 1973): pages 16–27.