R: Order Requires Liberty

I am very excited that we are able to host this inauguration week debate in spite of classes not being in session. I am also pleased that the Zoom platform has allowed us to invite our esteemed alumni to take part in this debate in addition to our usual alumni debate. Please join us for R: Order Requires Liberty.

This special debate is taking place in the midst of formative events for our nation and world. The protests and violence of this summer’s push against police brutality and last week’s unthinkable raid on our nation’s capitol, all occurring during the coronavirus pandemic, beg us to contrast order and liberty. The actions of protesters or rioters, which were born of the copious liberty we are afforded as Americans are seemingly at odds with The Trump administration’s “law and order” philosophy. Given this, it was tempting for the body to debate which of these two we value more, but this tacitly presupposes that order and liberty need be seen as diametric opposites. Many would say that this presupposition runs counter to the American project, and stifles all who strive to achieve a mean between tyranny and anarchy. Most would agree that liberty requires some order, but some may say that liberty always threatens order. Perhaps our country’s consistent political violence proves that any attempt to fully reconcile these two apparent opposites is unstable. On the other hand, some argue that true stability is only achieved when order and liberty complement each other.

I expect that many speakers will do well to define their terms when tackling this resolution. I encourage the body to embrace questions such as, what is order? Is order without liberty really order at all? And, must true order be properly ordered? I expect there may be some disagreement about whether order has ever existed in this country, or whether we simply hopscotch from one act of political violence to the next. Then again, others may agree with Thomas Jefferson when he says, “…a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical….Even this evil is productive of good. It prevents the degeneracy of government and nourishes a general attention to the public affairs.” In short, true, lasting order requires liberty.

I certainly look forward to hearing speeches on the topic R: Order Requires Liberty on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at 7:30 pm EST. I have attached several resources that I found helpful when thinking about the topic