Does Confucianism Offer Greater Freedom Than Liberalism?

Written between 1661 and 1675 and published posthumously in 1677, *Ethics* is a comprehensive philosophical work divided into five parts. It addresses the nature of God, concluding that God is intrinsic to the universe rather than outside it. The treatise dissects the human mind and body, explores the notion of free will and good and evil, and analyzes the origin and strength of emotions. Spinoza argues that reason is the sole means to achieve virtue and freedom from emotional bondage. The work is characterized by its use of Euclid's step-by-step logical method to prove various propositions.

In this highly personal and witty book, Roger Scruton explains how to live as a conservative despite the pressures to exist otherwise. He draws on his own experience as a counter-cultural presence in public life to argue that while humanity might survive without the conservative outlook, it certainly won't flourish. The book examines the principles and values that underpin conservative thought, including civil society, the rule of law, freedom, morality, property rights, and the role of the state. Scruton also discusses the influence of conservative ideas through the careers of politicians such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Disraeli, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher, and analyzes the relationship between conservative politics, capitalism, and free markets in the UK and the US.