Freedom and flourishing

McCloskey is correct that the ‘Great Enrichment’ came from the emancipation of human ingenuity made possible by the development of liberalism. We add to this that the ‘enrichment’ has a strong moral dimension when understood in terms of the neo-Aristotelian account of human flourishing that we have developed. We sketch our account of human flourishing, showing how it has many entrepreneurial features similar to those found in creating wealth. We also argue that a liberal political/legal order that enforces basic, negative rights protects the possibility of self-direction and thus allows for the development of moral responsibility and in turn human flourishing. Finally, we note that, contrary to what is often thought, the social/cultural life found within a liberal political/legal order should not be viewed as second-best to those that result from attempts to fashion society according to some moral ideal. Rather, it is a morally preferable and realistic ideal.