Before Resorting to Politics, by Anthony de Jasay (1996)
Reviewed by:
Bruce Yandle,
Clemson University,
Constitutional Political Economy Vol. 8, No. 1, 93-95 (1997)
"Still optimistic about the moral philosophy of liberty that underlies the minimal state, Rowley calls for a definition of bedrock, the first principles of liberalism. This is the challenge to be met by the subsequent papers.
Anthony de Jasay addresses this challenge in his paper Before Resorting to Politics by exploring actions whose advocates claim support liberalism but which, in fact, contradict it. His careful discussion of consequentialism is a case in point. Given a nation/state, some argue that the collective can right wrongs and perfect markets by taking purposeful action when estimated social benefits exceed social costs; the end result justifies rightful intervention. But as de Jasay points out, the consequentialist argument collapses under the challenge of aggregating preferences across individuals and dealing with the even more serious problem of somehow measuring benefits and costs in the absence of voluntary exchange. The medical nostrum first do no harm is offered as a basis for testing all political proposals before actions are taken.
De Jasay builds a foundation for a liberal order on the rocks of property, freedom to contract, and liberty. He carefully distinguishes liberty from rights by setting liberty as the feasible set of actions that can be taken naturally by free men. This feasible set, constrained by obligation and the protection of the rights of others, requires no permission from the state. De Jasay treats the informal order than can be established within the confines of the minimal state, but warns that the activist state will expand its range of welfare actions and in the process erode the value of informally secured survival skills and ultimately destroy the basis for informal order."
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