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Introduction EDWARD B. MCLEAN Western man’s pursuit of liberty has been constant. Indeed, the concept of liberty is central to Western political thought and history. The following essays, which were the first of the Goodrich Lecture Series at Wabash College, examine the concept of liberty as it has been understood from antiquity through the twentieth century. Since they were delivered, some of the essays have been modified, but the original thrust of the lecture …

…the days of the Roman Empire, many people claim only those liberties granted by their present rulers. They hope, as did the Romans, to be ruled by an Augustus, yet they know they may be dealt a Caligula. It is hoped that An Uncertain Legacy: Essays on the Pursuit of Liberty will continue the renewal of interest in the nature, value, and protection of human liberty so that we may live fully as human beings.