L. T. Hobhouse: LIBERALISM

Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse (1864-1929)

One of the great ironies of the modern political vocabulary is the use of the terms "conservative" and "liberal", when what many of today's conservatives want to conserve is liberalism, often referred to as "classical liberalism."

Our current selection, Liberalism by L.T. Hobhouse may be responsible for the schism between "classical liberalism" and the "new liberalism", often referred to as "social liberalism."

The philosophical tradition of liberalism is a continuum that stretches from John Locke, through John Stuart Mill to L.T. Hobhouse. In England, the Whig Party, and its subsequent incarnation, the Liberal Party, best exemplified this tradition, particularly under the leadership of William Gladstone.

In fact, the works of Hobhouse provide the U.K. Liberal Democrats of the twenty-first century with much of their political belief system.

Hobhouse's Liberalism (1911) has been described as timelessly classic and the best twentieth century statement of Liberal ideals to date. Unlike many of his contemporaries writing at the time, Hobhouse was not afraid to directly assess the issue of Marxism within the confines of his work. In this pivotal piece of literature, Hobhouse strives to formulate a working definition of turn-of-the-century Liberalism, pointing out the indivisible idea of society and the individual and the direct effect of one upon the other. According to Hobhouse, "We said above that it was the function of the State to secure the conditions upon which mind and character may develop themselves. Similarly we may say now that the function of the State is to secure conditions upon which its citizens are able to win by their own efforts all that is necessary to a full civic efficiency." In both addressing and countering Marxism, Hobhouse evolved from his philosophical fore bearers. Hobhouse could not ignore the poverty, inequality, and squalor brought on by the Industrial Age, due to the imbalance in economic power between the employer and the employed. He recognized the necessity of the State to ensure economic liberty, a kind of "positive liberty." Hobhouse offered a rationale for trade unions, income redistribution, and a living wage, all under the banner of "Liberalism."

Today, Hobhouse is known as a man central to the establishment and foundation of sociology as an academic discipline and in the refinement of its methodology. He outlined the idea of Liberal thought, and perhaps, defined the Liberal Democratic ideals flourishing worldwide in the twenty-first century. Liberalism may have provided the line of demarcation between the "classical" liberal and the modern-day Liberal.

This volume has been photographically reproduced from the original edition of 1911 and thus preserves the historical authenticity of the original, including typographical errors and printing irregularities.

Retail Price: $79.00
Our Price: $49.00