Can any of us ever really be free? Do we follow the rules our society gives us because we want to, or because we are forced to? This text challenges the received wisdom that discipline and freedom are opposite and mutually exclusive. Though it is typically argued that a well-ordered liberal society must discipline its more unruly citizens to maintain freedom for all, Richard Flathman shows how resistance to rules can mean more than criminals breaking laws. Resistance can also mean political protest and political dialogues about what the rules can be.

A superbly original version of liberalism by a major figure in political theory.

In this provocative work, Richard E. Flathman puts forward his idiosyncratic view of liberalism, one that is particularly concerned with putting freedom and individuality first, one that warns of the individualism-limiting potential of even liberal efforts to promote social justice. Focusing on the ideals he regards as appropriate to liberalism, Flathman analyzes repeated patterns and tendencies that influence societies -- their sustaining institutions.

Part I (Ideals) elaborates and vigorously promotes a...

In this book, first published in 1977, Richard Flathman sets out to provide a systematic understanding and an assessment of individual rights. He pursues the first objective primarily by analysing the salient characteristics of the uses of 'rights' in ordinary language. Establishing, exercising, respecting and violating rights are treated as activities forming a social 'practice'. This practice consists of an interrelated set of rules, norms and beliefs that are generally accepted and acted upon by persons who participate in the practice. Both the form and the content of the practice change...

In this book Richard E. Flathman argues vigorously for a new understanding of the proper place of voluntarism, individuality, and plurality in the political and moral theory of...