Why Does Classical Liberal History Matter?

Yasmin Valdez  | 08 de septiembre de 2018  | Vistas: 60

Michael Douma is a professor, and co-editor of the book What is Classical Liberal History? During the conversation with Luis Figueroa, Douma presents an overall view of what is classical liberal history, the main reasons why is important to know about this topic, and reveals his perspective of which are the foundations of the historical profession.

Our focus in history should be about freedom, about free people and why liberty matters."

Douma discusses why classical  liberal  history  is  different  from other economic perspectives, and presents the reason it was not defined by anyone else before. The professor  explains  how history can be written from distinct points of view, like the Marxist, conservative, and progressive movement, he then relates it to the panorama given by the classical liberal history.  

It's not about great men, but it's about men and women that are making decisions and what important decision can they make."

Michael proceeds to determine the role of people in history and reveals why when studying the past and understanding how history developed, it is essential to start with the individual and not the collective. Douma exposes the relevance of liberal values and tells his opinion on which is the most important.

Classical liberal inheritance today is about trying to improve things, improve society through the application of what we learn."

Douma describes how history can show the most dangerous threats to liberty today. He explains why studying unfreedom is key to understand it, and how significant is to study the past for making liberty of individual rights matter. Michael discusses how honesty is part of the process of comprehending what classical liberal history wants to show, in order to avoid repeating mistakes of the past. He finishes expressing what element is important to increase freedom and clarifies the association with the social structure.