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What distinguishes the libertarian (liberal) spirit from its alternative is the conviction that free individuals who respect one another’s sovereignty will generate and sustain a benevolent prosperous social order without direction from a central bureaucratic authority. Atomistic individualism never had anything to do with genuine liberalism, which is a social philosophy that looks to the cooperation inherent in the division of labor and free exchange to deliver its material and nonmaterial benefits. “The market” — the realm of consent, contract, and mutual accommodation — always was thought to include nonpecuniary relationships.

The Goal Is Freedom: The Nation as an Object of Service | News & Commentary | The Foundation for Economic Education: In Brief