ABSTRACT
Modern 'liberalism' is collectivist; classical liberalism is pareto-constrained, that is, libertarian. Classic liberalism is fundamentally anti-State; modern calls for heavy state involvement. Liberalism may be expounded either in political or in moral terms - as one would expect, given the pioneering work of Plato. In political terms, liberalism consists in a rejection of fundamental authority in the person of the king. The challenge for liberal foundations is to find a true Common Good among the welter of disparate ways of life and bundles of preferences that must expect actually to find in any large group of people. Liberalism, in fully fledged form, came on the scene in roughly the 17th century. Liberalism thus differs from the views both of Thrasymachus and of Plato. Thrasymachus scarcely can be said to have a political philosophy at all. His own proposal is manifestly absurd, if it is addressed to the people who would be exploited and robbed under his regime.
