ABSTRACT
Liberalism was not invented by some clever philosopher, on a certain day in some specific place. There have been many influences fostering its development, which took many centuries. Some of the roots of liberalism go back to Antiquity, especially in the work of the Greek and Roman Stoics. Other sources can, for example, be found in the works of late medieval Catholic natural law thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas, the Spanish scholastics, and scholars such as Grotius. In addition, there were humanist influences from thinkers such as Erasmus, Spinoza, Descartes, Bacon, Milton, Penn, and British free thinkers such as John Lilburne and the other “Levellers.” 1 Connections can also be laid with republican thought originating in the Italian city states. 2 What binds this very diverse group of thinkers is a number of early liberal thoughts, in particular pleas for more individual freedom, religious tolerance, free markets, or a greater public influence on political governance.
