The Ethics of Freedom

Western Civilization was built on principles that both define it and support the freedom, human dignity, and prosperity for which it stands. For many decades now, and for a variety of reasons, the consensus regarding those principles has been unraveling. We are today a deeply divided people, polarized around two basic positions. Some seek a 'fairer' society and advocate the aggressive redistribution of property. Others call for a return to the principles, policies and practices that...
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Western Civilization was built on principles that both define it and support the freedom, human dignity, and prosperity for which it stands. For many decades now, and for a variety of reasons, the consensus regarding those principles has been unraveling. We are today a deeply divided people, polarized around two basic positions. Some seek a 'fairer' society and advocate the aggressive redistribution of property. Others call for a return to the principles, policies and practices that gave rise to our freedom and prosperity in the first place. The differences between these positions stem from fundamental disagreements about human nature, and about the root question of ethics: How shall we live? The works represented in this Reader appear in one of four forms: complete original texts, excerpts from original texts, essays, or précis (summaries of works written in the tone and style of the original text). When possible, it is, of course, best to work with complete original texts, but time constraints make it impracticable for most Americans, including students in the context of a single college course, to read even a small sampling of the works that make up the Western ethics canon. Taken together, the works in this Reader stand as representatives of the broader tradition and seek to show the flow of ideas from ancient times to present; and they describe the ethical framework within which Western Civilization developed. Our character, as individuals and as a people, will determine our fate as a nation. To a very great extent, that character will be shaped by the ethical positions we embrace, and by the view we take of human nature. It is your editor's fervent hope that this Reader will in some small way lend fuller understanding and greater clarity to our decisions.