The Psychology of Liberty

About the Book

The Psychology of Liberty is a visionary journey explaining a novel political system of freedom and justice named Self-Governing Capitalism. Objectivity and logic are utilized to discover truth both psychologically and politically. The book paints an inspiring picture of a world in which objective values of individuals are held supreme.

The Psychology of Liberty is essentially a psychologically-based analysis of a completely free market economics, arising from an individual rights-based politics. It portrays the type of society that humanity will eventually embrace--hopefully in our lifetime--if we are to live benevolently, peacefully, and happily. By formulating a noncontradictory integration of the disciplines of philosophy and psychology, the book (unlike most philosophical books) is comprehensible. To anyone interested in profound ideas and who is searching for answers to life’s questions, comprehensibility is a very welcome friend.

The book first explains who our species once was, has been, and now is, in evolutionary and biological terms, and then expounds on the philosophical and psychological implications of this--for individuals and society. Being based on logical and objective principles, much of human nature described reflects the ingenious ideas of the late novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Additionally, many of the psychological interpretations are in agreement with those of psychologist and psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden. Self-concept and self-esteem are the core issues of Branden’s work. (He was also a teacher of Objectivism, Ayn Rand’s philosophy.)

The book incorporates and unifies these views of philosophy and psychology to appropriately explain the nature of reality and ourselves. As noted in the preface, this book is the result of studying the works of both authors. However, it outlines a politics that is somewhat different than what Objectivism has traditionally proposed, rectifying a basic contradiction by applying logic fully to this fourth branch of philosophy. This application proves important because it has many societal and psychological ramifications.

The Psychology of Liberty espouses Self-Governing Capitalism, which is the only completely free market system. Self-Governing Capitalism is identical in political description to Anarcho-Capitalism (or what is called in certain circles a “polycentric constitutional order” or “polycentric legal order”). Yet for reasons mentioned in the book, Self-Governing is a more accurate and effective term to represent this type of political, economic, and social system.

The book has eight chapters with various sections in each. The first four chapters lay the foundation for the last four, hence making it somewhat of a two-part book. The first part of the book (chapters 1-4) describes who our species has been from biological, evolutionary, historical, psychological, and philosophical perspectives. This necessarily entails describing distinguishing characteristics of our species (e.g., reason, volition, emotions) coupled with inspecting personal and societal conditions that have endured for centuries--namely, collectivistic thinking, irrationality, emotional unawareness and repression, and authoritarian rule over others.

The dominant themes of individual psychological processes and the social influences on these processes are addressed and clarified. We see what causes individuals to surrender independent thought and judgment to others, and what influences them to disrespect themselves and not understand their mental world. All this is blended with the introduction and explanation of the properties, function, and use of logical reasoning (the process of noncontradictory identification), so as to facilitate discovery of the fundamental truths about ourselves and our political situation. Logic is explained as the method by which we find both personal and societal enlightenment.

Once we

About the Author

Wes Bertrand currently resides in San Diego, CA, where he recently completed an MA degree in counseling psychology at United States International University. Most of his life, however, was spent in Idaho. He completed a BBA in management and a BS in psychology at Idaho State University in the early and mid nineties. During his nonacademic time, he worked in the mining, construction, and demolition trades. Though such practical skills provided a valuable counterbalance to his intellectual activities, he intends to focus his professional attention on education and psychology.