Book Review: "Modern Liberty and the Limits of Government" by Charles Fried (2006)

Harvard law prof and Reagan-era Solicitor General Charles Fried examines the definition of liberty by looking at it through the prism of three very close-to-home examples: Quebec's language laws, the Canadian health care system, and a campaign recently launched by the citizens of a small Vermont community to prevent Wal-mart from establishing itself there. Fried's premise is that the greatest enemy of liberty has always been some vision of the good, whatever that "good" may be. He also concludes that in many cases, particuarly the ones above, infringements on liberty (however mild) are usually borne of some quashing of the individual choices that men and women make to further their own well-being in favour of some ideal - which, in many cases, very practically diminishes the satisfaction of all who are chasing it.

Particulary devastating are his arguments which persuasively demonstrate that Quebec's Charter of the French Language equates to thought control, and also, his conclusion that forced participation in state-run health care is necessary because by eliminating alternatives, it is the only way the entire system could exist. He also deliciously concludes that those who would prevent their neighbours from shopping at Wal-Mart is the equivalent of dictating to other individuals what is best for them. The inescapable result is that one is left to ask if these laws, however well-intentioned they may be, are necessary - unless, that is, governments don't trust human beings in Western liberal democracies to make capable judgments for themselves.

"Modern Liberty" is a reminder that the state serves the citizenry, not the other way around, and this is a principle upon which lovers of freedom must always insist. It's also a reminder that the citizenry itself is made up of a collection of individuals, each with their own goals, tastes, preferences and thoughts. Not an easy read, and a little too high-minded for my tastes, but a good intellectual exercise all around that can be very satisfying at times.

Overall rating: 7.5/10