In this context, “ordered” means “organized”, not “commanded” (as in the antonym for “disorder”, NOT as in “taking orders”) ... i.e. liberty within a structure, such as that set out in the Constitution. It is based on the belief that liberty is generally a good thing, but that society does require a certain amount of order to function properly.
I did not coin the term. “Ordered liberty” is actually a fairly common phrase. Dictionary.com defines “ordered liberty” as follows ...
“Main Entry: or·der·ed liberty
Function: noun
: freedom limited by the need for order in society.”
SnakeDoc
Yeah, but your dictionary definition doesn’t define WHO DECIDES what “order” is NEEDED in a society. Now, if it were to franchise a government solely to protect society from actual predators, you know, like robbers. rapists, murderers, child molesters and the like, who commit actual CRIMES, I have no beef with that. Or actual outside threats, such as Nazi Germany and the like (note the word ACTUAL, as opposed to POTENTIAL, as many RULERS like to keep their subjects in line with some vague, unspecified outside threat. See, for example, “1984” or similar.) But if, in your society, you want government to “protect people from themselves,” then I want no part of you. Because pretty soon that definition gets stretched to cover any private behavior that doesn’t gel with whoever’s on top, running the show, and we have a situation such as this nation and our society face today. And THAT is unacceptable.