Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

Classical liberalism

Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech. It gained full flowering in the early 18th century, building on ideas stemming at least as far back as the 13th century within the Iberian, Anglo-Saxon, and central European contexts and was foundational to the American Revolution and "American Project" more broadly.Notable liberal individuals whose ideas contributed to classical liberalism include John Locke, Jean-Baptiste Say, Thomas Malthus, and David Ricardo.

7 episodes

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CultureHistoryPhilosophySocial philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of historyWriters about activism and social changePhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of religionEnlightenment philosophersMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyAge of EnlightenmentPhilosophers of education18th-century philosophersPhilosophers of economicsHall of Fame for Great Americans inducteesNatural law ethicistsPhilosophical schools and traditionsAmerican male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of artPolitical philosophersVirtueAlumni of Trinity College DublinSocial philosophyVirtue ethicists18th-century English male writers19th-century English writers19th-century male writersHistorical erasIrish AnglicansScientific RevolutionWestern culture18th-century Anglo-Irish people, 18th-century Irish male writers18th-century English writersAmerican political philosophersBritish political philosophersCritics of JudaismDeist philosophersEconomics booksEnglish inventorsEnglish libertariansEnglish people of Irish descentEnglish republicansHistorians of the French RevolutionStreathamites18th-century American writers, Founding Fathers of the United States, People of the American Enlightenment18th-century Irish writers19th-century American philosophersAmerican deistsAmerican philosophers of cultureAmerican philosophers of educationAmerican philosophers of religionAnglican philosophersBooks in political philosophyBritish MPs 1780–1784, Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituenciesConservatismCritics of deismHistory of liberalismWriters from Dublin (city)18th-century American male writers, American foreign policy writers18th-century English people18th-century English philosophers18th-century Irish philosophers19th-century American writersAmerican nationalists, American religious skepticsAnti-monarchistsBooks about capitalismBooks about conservatismBritish MPs 1774–1780British MPs 1784–1790, British MPs 1790–1796British deistsConsequentialismDeputies to the French National ConventionEnlightenment philosophyFrederick North, Lord NorthHappinessHedonismHistory of Europe by periodIrish Freemasons, Irish libertarians, Irish people of English descentLiberalismLiberalism in the United KingdomLibertarianismNaturalized citizens of FrancePolitical activists from PennsylvaniaPolitical philosophy literaturePreclassical economicsProgressRadicalsRectors of the University of GlasgowSchools of economic thoughtTruthUniversal basic income writers
  1. Edmund Burke

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the work of the philosopher, politician and writer Edmund Burke, whose views on revolution in America and France were hugely influential.

    3 June 2010

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    Featuring: Karen O'Brien, Richard Bourke, John Keane

     
  2. Hayek's The Road to Serfdom

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Hayek's 1944 book warning that the centralised planning of the wartime economy, if extended into peacetime, could lead to tyranny.

    17 October 2024

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    Featuring: Bruce Caldwell, Melissa Lane, Ben Jackson

     
  3. The Enlightenment in Britain

    Melvyn Bragg examines the part British thinkers played in the Enlightenment in the 18th century, and examines whether the shifts of thought in those years provided the platform for the modern world.

    18 January 2001

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    Featuring: Roy Porter, Linda Colley, Jeremy Black

     
  4. The Physiocrats

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Physiocrats, an important group of economic thinkers in 18th-century France.

    20 June 2013

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    Featuring: Richard Whatmore, Joel Felix, Helen Paul

     
  5. The Wealth of Nations

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Adam Smith's celebrated economic treatise The Wealth of Nations.

    19 February 2015

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    Featuring: Richard Whatmore, Donald Winch, Helen Paul

     
  6. Thomas Paine's Common Sense

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense, which was published in 1776 and bolstered support for American independence.

    21 January 2016

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    Featuring: Kathleen Burk, Nicholas Guyatt, Peter Thompson

     
  7. Utilitarianism

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss utilitarianism, a moral theory that assesses acts by their tendency to increase pleasure in the world and decrease the amount of pain.

    11 June 2015

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    Featuring: Melissa Lane, Janet Radcliffe Richards, Brad Hooker