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Prior to libertarianism evolving into a coherent and discoverable philosophy in the modern era (when libertarian views no longer necessarily signified a painstaking effort of personal intellectual and/or social development, but could be discovered pre-formed in the thoughts and writings of others), the presence of individuals who were ''consistent libertarians'' even in their political positions, let alone in their personal behavior, must have been extremely rare, just as the occurrence of a consistent ideological Marxist, say, or Keynesian, or democrat (small-d, i.e. a believer in democracy), would almost certainly have been equally rare prior to the writings of Marx and Keynes, or the historical development of democracy as a mode of governance. | Prior to libertarianism evolving into a coherent and discoverable philosophy in the modern era (when libertarian views no longer necessarily signified a painstaking effort of personal intellectual and/or social development, but could be discovered pre-formed in the thoughts and writings of others), the presence of individuals who were ''consistent libertarians'' even in their political positions, let alone in their personal behavior, must have been extremely rare, just as the occurrence of a consistent ideological Marxist, say, or Keynesian, or democrat (small-d, i.e. a believer in democracy), would almost certainly have been equally rare prior to the writings of Marx and Keynes, or the historical development of democracy as a mode of governance. | ||
This being acknowledged, it is worthwhile to recognize historical persons whose lives and actions were on the whole supportive of individual liberty, and who appear from the available evidence to have had more libertarian leanings than most of their contemporaries, | This being acknowledged, it is worthwhile to recognize historical persons whose lives and actions were on the whole supportive of individual liberty, and who appear from the available evidence to have had more libertarian leanings than most of their contemporaries, in order to remember their legacies and contributions to humanity's ongoing journey toward an understanding of and commitment to freedom. | ||
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