Saved by Jonathan Simcoe
A Brief History of Individual Rights | National Review
Decades after the truce, John Locke—whose philosophy influenced the American founding fathers more than any other—wrote about human nature as if it were an “unknowable x.” He knew that disagreements over religion (Jerusalem) and over reason (Athens) were dangerous, so he declared the question of human nature an unfathomable idea that people would... See more
The result is that the New Faith, which rejects nearly every fundamental principle of liberal modernity – the existence of an objective and immutable reality that can be discovered by reason; the scientific method; an enduring human nature; the primacy of the sovereign individual over the collective; impartial equality before the law; secular... See more
N.S. Lyons • The Upheaval
When we talk about justice today, we almost always find ourselves talking about rights we believe are entrenched in nature and have been enshrined in our founding documents. This language reflects a liberal conception of human action and interaction, casting us as rational agents who reach agreements with one another through calculation and
... See moreThere are many ways to explain the origins of this remarkable turn against obedience. The standard Enlightenment narrative is one of progress. We have left behind stultifying inherited authorities, and now, for the first time in history, we are free to live in accord with nature and reason. There are other, less triumphalist accounts. The great... See more