Remembering Herbert Butterfield

Herbert Butterfield formulated a political theory of limited liberalism around his Augustinian Christianity, which tempered personal liberty with the recognition of man's fallen nature . . .

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Comments (2)

Great to see some good writing coming out of SHSU, my wife’s alma mater.

Tradition can be valuable if it has been proven over time to be good tradition. But I don’t think it should be assumed that tradition is the proper basis for law. Tradition can be outdated or started for the benefit of one class over another. It can come from the whims of a ruler and be harmful even if accepted over time. I do think ideas like natural law can be a helpful standard by which to judge tradition. Keep the good. Remove the bad. Butterfield sounds like he has his own version of natural law that informs what he considers the purpose of government and institutions. The truth that mankind is imperfectible is itself a statement of natural law.

https://thecrosssectionrmb.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-ethics-of-liberty-children-and.html

April 17, 2023 RMB Reply

I thought you might be related to CT McIntire who wrote his dissertation on Butterfield. But the spelling is different. Nice article. Thank you.

April 17, 2023 John Elliott Reply

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