Beyond the Halfway House
Classical liberalism was, at its core, a transitional philosophy: a necessary step in the historical evolution away from the absolutism of monarchy and toward the only consistent vision of liberty— anarchy.
Early liberals—still entangled in monarchy’s remnants—advocated a minimal state, believing it necessary to secure an order more consistent with human nature. But they failed to grasp the inherent contradiction: even the most minimal state runs contrary to human nature, and every state, by its nature, carries the seed of its own expansion.