ABSTRACT
Its major contemporary critics, it seems clear, have seriously misinterpreted the origins of liberalism and its subsequent growth. Nor do they appreciate why the liberal spirit, if properly nurtured, is of central importance to the problems which face us. The present significance of liberalism, I wish to suggest, derives from a fundamental, deeply-rooted and unshakeable commitment to individual liberty and individual self-determination from which flow social, economic and political applications. Ancient in origin, this belief has become the most widely-held political idea of modern times. Rooted in the desire for improvement in the conditions of life, it involves, in its fullest ramifications, far more than a concern for material gain. Fundamentally, it means that all men, to be fully human, require both the opportunity and the incentive to make their own choices, to develop their talents fully and to bear the responsibilities of citizenship.
