The search for the common good in the classical liberal tradition
Share This Event
The search for the common good in the classical liberal tradition
Classical liberals are known to be skeptical about concepts such as general interest or social justice. For that reason, they are often classified among the individualistic, the selfish and soulless persons. They wouldn’t care about others! Such judgment shows a total ignorance of what liberalism really is, in theory as well as in practice.
The classical liberal tradition developed through a trial-and-error process attempting to find the proper institutions for our societies; the ones that would empower everyone, regardless of religion or origin, to follow their own aspiration –their personal vision of “the good life”. Tolerance was one of its key ideas. In that sense this tradition was in search of the common good.
This is how the defense of property came to be the paramount element of a liberal society. Institutions protecting property would give each one a chance to flourish. But that’s not all! Property, for reasons we progressively understand, turns out to be the best way to promote the many things those who appeal to “the general interest” or “social justice” are attempting to promote: access to a good education for everyone, access to better healthcare, better protection against accidents, better environment.
The 2025 edition of the International Summer University in Political Science will be the place to inquire into those topics with the contributions, as always, of top scholars but also of those acting today to bring about a better world without relying on the coercion of the State.
Thursday July 10 / Jeudi 10 juillet
- July 10, 2025 19:0019:00 Welcoming cocktail / Cocktail de bienvenue
Hotel Aquabella, Aix-en-Provence
Welcome speeches by Prof. Pierre Garello
Discours de bienvenue par Pierre GarelloKeynote speech
H.S.H. Prince Michael of Lichtenstein
(Executive Chairman, Industrie-und-Finanzkantor Ets, Founder & Chaiman of Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG)
Jean-Philippe Delsol : Bien commun, état de droit et intérêt général
Friday July 11 / Vendredi 11 juillet
July 11, 2025 8:30Coffee & Croissants(Plenary sessions with simultaneous translations / Session plénière avec traduction simultanée)
Amphi Dumas– Bâtiment Portalis – Faculté de Droit et de Sciences Politiques
Friday July 11
- July 11, 2025 9:00Plenary session 1
9:00- 9:10. Plenary session/Session plénière
Welcoming address from Jean-Philippe Delsol (IREF) et Pierre Garello (IES-Europe)
Dean of Law School: Jean-Baptiste Perrier9:10 - 10:10. Plenary session 1 / Session plénière 1:
The history of the concept
Histoire du concept
Joseph Pini:
Douglas Rasmussen :
Jean-Philippe Feldman : Bien commun, intérêt général et relativisme moral
10:10 - 10:40. Break
Friday July 11
- July 11, 2025 10:40Plenary session 2
10:40 – 11:40 Plenary session 2 / Session plénière 2:
L’anthropologie libérale et le bien commun
Common goods and classical liberal anthropology
David Schmidtz
Tom Palmer
Cathleen Johnson : Humanomics and the Common Good11:40 - 12:40. Plenary session 2 / Session plénière 2:
The Common good in modern discourse
Le bien commun dans le discours contemporain
Iain Murray
Randy Barnett
Enrico Colombatto - July 11, 2025 12:40Lunch break
- July 11, 2025 14:00Parallel Session 1
Amphi Dumas et Amphi Mistral – faculté de Droit et de Sciences Politiques
14:00 – 15:15 Parallel sessions 1 (English and French) / Sessions parallèles 1
(1 session en anglais et 1 session en français)Which monetary system will best serve the common good
Bob Lyndon, Radu NechitaQuel système monétaire préserve le bien commun
Nathalie Janson, Antoine Gentier, Jean-Claude Gruffat - July 11, 2025 15:15Break
- July 11, 2025 15:45Parallel Session 2
15:45 - 17:00. Parallel sessions 2 (English and French) / Sessions parallèles 2
(1 session en anglais et 1 session en français)Which kind of democracy best serve the common good
Nils Karlson, Nikolai Wenzel, Krassen StanchevQue faut-il pour que nos démocraties servent le bien commun?
Pierre Bentata, Nouh El Harmouzi - July 11, 2025 17:00Keynote
17:00 - 17:45. Keynote speech - Discours – Amphi Dumas, FDSP
Mario Rizzo: Was Keynes a liberal?
Speakers: 
July 11, 2025 19:00Cocktail19:00 - 21:00 Cocktail at the City Hall – Cocktail à l’Hôtel de Ville
Honoring Prof. Jacques Garello, former Director of the Summer University and President of ALEPS
- Hommage au Prof. Jacques Garello
Jean-Pierre Centi, Mario Rizzo, Tom PalmerSpeakers:
Saturday July 12
July 12, 2025 8:30Coffee & Croissants8:30 : Coffee & Croissants / Café & croissants
(Plenary sessions with simultaneous translations / Session plénière avec traduction simultanée)Amphi Dumas – Bâtiment Portalis – Faculté de Droit et de Sciences Politiques
- July 12, 2025 9:00Plenary Session 3
9:00 - 10:10 Plenary session 3 / Session plénière 3:
Free Trade and the Common Good
Don Boudreaux
Carlo Stagnaro10:10 - 10:40 Break
- July 12, 2025 10:10Break
- July 12, 2025 10:40Plenary Session 4
10:40 - 11:40. Plenary session 4 / Session plénière 4
Fiscal competition: Serving the common good or Race to the bottom?
François Facchini
Javier Lasquetti11:40 - 12:40. Plenary session 5 / Session plénière 5:
A public choice perspective on the common good
Syed Kamal
Nils Karlsen
David Lisnard12:40 - 14:00. Lunch / déjeuner
- July 12, 2025 12:40Lunch Break
- July 12, 2025 14:00Parallel Session 3
Amphi Dumas et Amphi Mistral – faculté de Droit et de Sciences Politiques
14:00 - 15:35. Parallel sessions 3 (English and French) / Sessions parallèles 3 (Anglais et français)
Under which conditions can AI contribute to the common good
Que faut-il pour que l’IA serve le bien commun?
Christian Nasulea, Edouard Filias, Jean-Pierre Chamoux - July 12, 2025 15:35Break
- July 12, 2025 15:45Parallel Session 4
15:45 - 17:00. Parallel sessions 4 (English and French) / Sessions parallèles 2
(1 session en anglais et 1 session en français)Reforming the State: Which strategies will best serve the common good
Réforme de l’Etat: Quelle stratégie servira le mieux le bien commun
Tom Palmer, Kevin Brookes, Erwan Queinnec, Iain Murray, Nicolas Lecaussin - July 12, 2025 17:00Keynote
17:00 - 18:00. Keynote speech - Discours – Amphi Dumas, FDSP
Equality of Permission: The First and Best Liberalism
Deirdre McCloskey, University of Illinois at Chicago
and Cato Institute. - July 12, 2025 19:00Closing Dinner
19:00 - 0:30. Closing diner at La Campane, Venelles
Registration Without Room on Campus
Early Bird until MAY 5TH
250,00 €
Registration (without room on campus)
Includes conference fees, meals and cocktails.
Registration With Room on Campus
Early Bird until MAY 5TH
350,00 €
Registration (WITH student room)
Includes accommodation on campus, conference fees, meals and cocktails.
Registration With Support for One Student
Early Bird until MAY 5TH
600,00 €
Pay for yourself and one student applying for financial support.
Includes:
Conference fees, meals and cocktails for you
Accommodation on campus, conference fees, meals and cocktails for one student.
 |
 |