Two Liberal Traditions: English and French

What does it mean to be a liberal? In America, we regularly take our “liberal heritage” for granted, so much so that liberal principles are simply accepted as political necessities, even truisms. Many of these principles come to us from English thinkers like John Locke and John Stuart Mill. Yet theorists in the French tradition offered an equally rich, though distinct perspective on these values. We will consider the “two liberal traditions,” Anglo-American and French, to gain a better grasp of liberalism’s beginnings and its legacy. Can the study of liberal thought teach us anything about contemporary politics and economics?