These, then, are the bedrock principles of classical liberal theory: the primacy of individual
liberty understood primarily as freedom from state interference with one’s personal development and projects; a very broad protection of freedom of inquiry, speech, and worship; a deep suspicion of state power over individuals; the restriction of state coercion to those areas of activity in which individuals’ conduct affects others; and a strong though rebuttable presumption in favor of privacy, markets, and other forms of private ordering. In the last century and a half, of course, countless political, social, and economic theorists have built upon the foundations laid by Locke and Mill while glossing, challenging, or refining virtually
all of their claims. In applying the principles of classical liberal theory to questions
of citizenship, I shall discuss some of the contemporary critics.