Democracy by Discussion, Not Debate: James Buchanan on Freedom of Inquiry as a Methodological, not Ideological, Necessity

Peter Boettke and King M. Scott ()
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King M. Scott: PhD Fellow, F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Econom-ics, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, United States of America

ORDO. Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, 2018, vol. 69, issue 1, 51-62

Abstract: Freedom of inquiry remains one of the core tenants of the liberal project. However, in a 1960 letter, James M. Buchanan argued that free inquiry was important for more than just philosophical reasons. In fact, freedom of inquiry and the ability to participate in collective choice processes was at the heart of Buchanan’s methodological commitments to social science and foundational to the entire project of Virginia Political Economy. In this paper, we will show why freedom of inquiry assumes the central place that it holds in Buchanan’s methodology and research more broadly. Insisting on inquiry being open and free to all was not simply an ideological preference held by Buchanan—rather, to him it was the only way forward for Virginia Political Economy.

Keywords: James Buchanan; Political Economy; Democracy; Economic Methodology; Freedom of Inquiry; Liberalism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A11 B31 B41 D70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1515/ordo-2019-0006

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