The statist views that some mistakenly called "liberalism" in the United States during much of the twentieth century now appear to be falling into disrepute. At the same time, as we shall show later, a victory of conservatism would offer little hope to those who value liberty. If liberalism is to become relevant in the twenty-first century, then it must return to its roots, which lie in the supremacy of reason and in individual freedom.

As already observed, the purpose of a liberal government is to secure freedom, by protecting individuals from aggressions by others. The distinction between aggression and peaceful behavior is determined by rights. Since human action consists of the allocation of means to attain desired ends, freedom of action requires that each person should be able to use all means and ends of his or her actions, provided that these values are not obtained through interference with actions of others. This moral jurisdiction over one's own life and property is established through rights, a concept which links ethical and political theory and which we encountered briefly in our discussion of the Declaration of Independence but have not yet defined. A right (as a noun) is an ethical principle prohibiting interference with an individual's freedom of action.