Walter Williams is associated with that paradoxical phenomenon typically known as “black conservatism.” However, while Williams is a fierce opponent of the leftist political ideology that has overcome the majority of his fellow black Americans — he is a rightist — it is not altogether technically accurate to describe him as a conservative.
Unlike such black thinkers as George Schuyler and Thomas Sowell, as far as his ethical and political philosophical principles are concerned, the most appropriate label to ascribe to Williams is that of libertarian. What this means is that he is a liberal in the classical sense of that term.
The concept of “tradition” or “habit” or “custom” has historically figured prominently, even centrally, in conservative thought. With respect to libertarianism or classical liberalism, in contrast, matters are otherwise. There need not be an adversarial relationship between libertarianism and tradition, it is true, but it is abstract principles, principles whose jurisdiction encompasses all human beings, irrespective of their culture or time, for which the libertarian tends to reserve a place of preeminence.
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Jack Kerwick, Ph.D. (photo)