Voluntary Action

Voluntary action is preferred over mandated or coerced action. The classical liberal social ideal is a society of mutual benefit, based on peaceful cooperation and mutual consent. One reason classical liberals favor constitutional constraints on government power is because such constraints limit the scope of government and broaden the opportunity for individuals to discover voluntary, cooperative solutions in which all parties benefit. How much government coercion is justifiable is a topic of serious debate within the classical liberal tradition. There is no single classical liberal view on how big government should be or where exactly the lines of legitimate government action should be drawn, but there is broad agreement within the classical liberal tradition that the good society is one that allows voluntary, consensual interaction in most aspects of life.