This paper starts with a controversy concerning the interpretation of the political thought of David Hume: Is it liberal or conservative? By discussing the controversy, the paper aims to reflect on the absence of moral argument which marks the modem liberalism. Then the concept of classic liberalism is proposed as a basis for us to understand the important political theorists in the 18th century England such as David Hume and Adam Smith, as well as a possible solution to the contemporary dispute between liberalism and communitarianism.