From the other side...

Brooks:

Near the start of his book, “The Conscience of a Conservative,” Barry Goldwater wrote: “Every man, for his individual good and for the good of his society, is responsible for his own development. The choices that govern his life are choices that he must make; they cannot be made by any other human being.” The political implications of this are clear, Goldwater continued: “Conservatism’s first concern will always be: Are we maximizing freedom?”

I'm not sure I'm right there with Barry on the logicial procession from "Man must make his own decisions" to "Man needs Freedom". Man has always operated within certain social parameters. I haven't read the book, and Brooks is paraphrasing to make a point similar to mine, so I'm sure there's more to it; nevertheless, I wonder what exactly it is that Goldwater is saying. What are his underlying assumptions here? Are decisions that an individual makes him- or herself more powerful than decisions imposed upon them by society? Why does more freedom lead to a better society? I'm not saying it doesn't, I'm just wondering what Goldwater's reasoning is.