The Future of Liberalism Book

A compelling and deeply felt exploration and defense of liberalism: what it actually is, why it is relevant today, and how it can help our society chart a forward course.The Future of Liberalism represents the culmination of four decades of thinking and writing about contemporary politics by Alan Wolfe, one of Americaâ??s leading scholars, hailed by one critic as â??one of liberalismâ??s last and most loyal sons.â? Wolfe mines the bedrock of the liberal tradition, explaining how Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, John Dewey, and other celebrated minds helped shape liberalismâ??s central philosophy. Wolfe also examines those who have challenged liberalism since its inception, from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to modern conservatives, religious fundamentalists, and evolutionary theorists such as Richard Dawkins.Drawing on both the inspiration and insights of seminal works such as John Lockeâ??s Second Treatise on Government, Adam Smithâ??s Theory of Moral Sentiments, Kantâ??s essay â??What is Enlightenment?,â? and Millâ??s On Liberty and The Subjection of Women, Wolfe ambitiously sets out to define what it truly means to be a liberal. He analyzes and applauds liberalismâ??s capacious conception of human nature, belief that people outweigh ideology, passion for social justice, faith in reason and intellectual openness, and respect for individualism. And we see how the liberal tradition can influence and illuminate contemporary debates on immigration, abortion, executive power, religious freedom, and free speech.But Wolfe also makes it clear that before liberalism can be successfully applied to todayâ??s problems, it needs to be recovered, understood, and embracedâ??not just by Americans but by all modern peopleâ??as the most beneficial way to live in our complex modern world. The Future of Liberalism is a crucial, enlightening, and immensely rewarding step in that direction.Read More