Modern Liberty: And the Limits of Government (Issues of Our Time)

An impassioned defense of liberty from one of our most esteemed legal scholars.

How has the modern welfare state redefined our notion of individual liberty? Are we free to express ourselves in speech, at work, or through sex? Arguing that equality is often the most potent rival of liberty, Charles Fried demonstrates how the dense tangle of government regulations both supports and threatens our personal freedoms. Richly illustrated with examples from contemporary life, Modern Liberty is vividly relevant to the experiences and needs of everyday Americans. This is Hayek's The Road to Serfdom updated for a time when we have put fascist and Marxist tyranny firmly behind us but still confront kinder, gentler threats to our liberty. Armed with Fried's insights, readers will be better able to defend themselves against those on both the left and the right who would limit their liberty to promote virtue, equality, or the greatness of the nation. Modern Liberty has profound implications for the societies in which we live now.

Charles Fried, the Beneficial Professor Law at the Harvard Law School, has taught and written about legal philosophy and constitutional law for over forty years. He served as solicitor general of the United States in the Reagan administration and as a judge on the highest court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His books include Modern Liberty and the Limits of Government, Right and Wrong, and (with his son, Gregory Fried) Because It Is Wrong.