authors:
- Fukuyama, Francis
content: 'A pretty good text on the decline of liberalism in world politics in recent
  years. Many of the problems are related to the unintentional effects of policies
  that have been called liberal, sometimes accurately, sometimes not. Fukuyama defines
  liberalism as arguing "for the limitation of the powers of government through law
  and ultimately constitutions, creating institutions protecting the rights of individuals..."
  Fukuyama criticizes neoliberalism as an economic liberalism that has increased inequality
  and directly or indirectly caused many of the issues besetting liberalism today.
  He points out that the threats to liberal democracy comes in different ways from
  both the left and the right.


  Fukuyama discusses the issues of equality, dignity, individualism, diversity and
  pluralism, and the ways these simultaneously reinforce and conflict with one another.
  He is refreshingly candid about the difficulties involved in maintaining a society
  that balances these values. He is scathing about the neoconservatism of Patrick
  Deneen, Yoram Hazony and others. He expertly analyses the various aspects of identity
  politics. His comments on post-modern thinking by Michel Foucault and others illuminates
  the connections with both sides of the current so-called culture wars. The discussion
  of national identity acknowledges the dangers of nationalism but also recognizes
  that "national identity is a social construct, and it can be shaped to support rather
  than undermine liberal values." He thinks liberals should be more proud of national
  identity when it refers to an open society.


  His conclusions for a defense of a liberal society include stating a number of liberal
  principles, which I do not discuss here; that would require at least an entire essay.
  The final word in Fukyama''s book goes to the value of moderation, a value espoused
  by the ancient Greeks, among others. The quest for the totality of some value in
  politics may be most fundamental error of our age.'
date: '2022-10-30'
edition:
  published: '2022'
  publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
goodreads: '58837538'
html: '<p>A pretty good text on the decline of liberalism in world politics in recent
  years. Many of the problems are related to the unintentional effects of policies
  that have been called liberal, sometimes accurately, sometimes not. Fukuyama defines
  liberalism as arguing &quot;for the limitation of the powers of government through
  law and ultimately constitutions, creating institutions protecting the rights of
  individuals...&quot; Fukuyama criticizes neoliberalism as an economic liberalism
  that has increased inequality and directly or indirectly caused many of the issues
  besetting liberalism today. He points out that the threats to liberal democracy
  comes in different ways from both the left and the right.</p>

  <p>Fukuyama discusses the issues of equality, dignity, individualism, diversity
  and pluralism, and the ways these simultaneously reinforce and conflict with one
  another. He is refreshingly candid about the difficulties involved in maintaining
  a society that balances these values. He is scathing about the neoconservatism of
  Patrick Deneen, Yoram Hazony and others. He expertly analyses the various aspects
  of identity politics. His comments on post-modern thinking by Michel Foucault and
  others illuminates the connections with both sides of the current so-called culture
  wars. The discussion of national identity acknowledges the dangers of nationalism
  but also recognizes that &quot;national identity is a social construct, and it can
  be shaped to support rather than undermine liberal values.&quot; He thinks liberals
  should be more proud of national identity when it refers to an open society.</p>

  <p>His conclusions for a defense of a liberal society include stating a number of
  liberal principles, which I do not discuss here; that would require at least an
  entire essay. The final word in Fukyama''s book goes to the value of moderation,
  a value espoused by the ancient Greeks, among others. The quest for the totality
  of some value in politics may be most fundamental error of our age.</p>

  '
isbn: '9780374606718'
language: en
lastmod: '2022-10-30'
path: /library/fukuyama-2022.html
published: '2022'
rating: 4
reference: Fukuyama 2022
reviewed: '2022-10-30'
subjects:
- liberalism
- political-philosophy
- politics
title: Liberalism and Its Discontents
type: book
year: 2022