Liberalism and Its Discontents
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- € 6,49
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A TIMES BEST PHILOSOPHY & IDEAS BOOK OF 2022
A defence of liberalism by the renowned political philosopher
'We need more thinkers as wise as Fukuyama digging their fingers into the soil of our predicament' The New York Times
'A brilliantly acute summary of the way some aspects of liberal thought have consumed themselves' Guardian
'One of the West's most interesting public intellectuals' Times
'Hard to think of a better case for liberal centrism' FT
Liberalism - the comparatively mild-mannered sibling to the more ardent camps of nationalism and socialism - has never been so divisive as today. From Putin's populism, the Trump administration and autocratic rulers in democracies the world over, it has both thrived and failed under identity politics, authoritarianism, social media and a weakened free press the world over.
Since its inception following the post-Reformation wars, liberalism has come under attack from conservatives and progressives alike, and today is dismissed by many as an 'obsolete doctrine'. In this brilliant and concise exposition, Francis Fukuyama sets out the cases for and against its classical premises: observing the rule of law, independence of judges, means over ends, and most of all, tolerance.
Pithy, to the point, and ever pertinent, this is political dissection at its very best.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A liberalism under siege from right and left gets a measured defense in this incisive treatise on politics and governance. Stanford University political scientist Fukuyama (The End of History and the Last Man), ponders classical liberalism as a creed that champions respect for individual dignity and autonomy, the rule of law, economic freedom, and scientific rationality. Unfortunately, he contends, liberalism has wandered into excesses, including neoliberal economic theories and policies that are hostile to even necessary government regulation and breed inequality, dislocation, and soulless consumerism; divisive attacks on social traditions in the name of personal self-actualization; identity politics demanding that rights be invested in groups rather than individuals; and ambitions to override property rights and redistribute wealth. As a result, both right-wing populists and left-wing progressives are wary of liberal ideals of tolerance, freedom, and reasoned debate. Fukuyama's lucid, insightful analysis traces liberalism's development back to its medieval Christian roots and forward to modern philosophical muddles and today's wrangles over voting restrictions and cancel culture, offering tart criticism for all sides: "Progressives and white nationalists come together in valuing raw feeling and emotion over cold empirical analysis." The result is an authoritative and accessible diagnosis of how liberalism went wrong and how it can reclaim its best impulses.
