Liberalism: What Does It Even MEAN? Political Scientist Explains

– October 20, 2023 Reading Time: < 1 minute

On this episode of Liberty Curious, Kate Wand sat down with Michael Munger, economist and professor of political economy at Duke University, to discuss the Classical Liberal diaspora. Diaspora refers to the scattering of liberals ‘of the old type’; the remnant, the libertarians, and the classical liberals, whose message about liberty and limited government gets lost in a sea of tribal left vs. right politics. They discuss how progressives and conservatives are both convinced that their morality and vision for society is correct, and have no qualms about using the power of the state to impose it upon the rest of us. They get into details about the classical liberal tradition, how we got to where we are now, and the dangers of wielding the ring of power in our favor.

Use these time stamps to navigate the content of the interview:
0:00 – Intro
1:30 – Origins of Liberalism
4:00 – Progressivism
7:48 – Classical liberal diaspora
10:16 – Classical Liberalism in Politics
16:30 – The Reagan Administration
19:55 – Post 9-11 shifts
23:29 – Classical Liberals vs Libertarians
27:34 – Where Progressives & Conservatives Collide
30:19 – Limited Government
33:18 – American Erosion
39:02 – The Central Planning Allure
42:00 – Technocracy
45:00 – The Remnant vs. Fusionism
50:00 – The dangers of complacency
54:00 – An opportunity for classical liberalism
58:23 – Last thoughts

Text on the Remnant (courtesy of the Mises Institute)
Michael Munger on Twitter
Michael at AIER

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Michael Munger is a Professor of Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy at Duke University and Senior Fellow of the American Institute for Economic Research.

His degrees are from Davidson College, Washingon University in St. Louis, and Washington University.

Munger’s research interests include regulation, political institutions, and political economy.