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  • The Once and Future Liberal

  • After Identity Politics
  • Written by: Mark Lilla
  • Narrated by: Charles Constant
  • Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (6 ratings)

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The Once and Future Liberal

Written by: Mark Lilla
Narrated by: Charles Constant
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Publisher's Summary

From one of the most internationally admired political thinkers, a controversial polemic on the failures of identity politics and what comes next for the left - in America and beyond.

Following the shocking results of the US election of 2016, public intellectuals across the globe offered theories and explanations, but few were met with such vitriol, panic, and debate as Mark Lilla’s. The Once and Future Liberal is a passionate plea to liberals to turn from the divisive politics of identity and develop a vision of the future that can persuade all citizens that they share a common destiny.

Driven by a sincere desire to protect society’s most vulnerable, the left has unwittingly balkanized the electorate, encouraged self-absorption rather than solidarity, and invested its energies in social movements rather than party politics. Identity-focused individualism has insidiously conspired with amoral economic individualism to shape an electorate with little sense of a shared future and near-contempt for the idea of the common good.

Now is the time to re-build a sense of common feeling and purpose, and a sense of duty to one another. A fiercely argued, important book, enlivened by acerbic wit and erudition, The Once and Future Liberal is essential listening for our times.

©2017 Mark Lilla (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers
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Clumsy at times, but leaves enough room for optimism

ila takes on the behemoth task of characterizing the roots of modern identitarian politics within liberalism in a small volume. He, on occasion, perhaps by necessity, trades rigor for brevity. In the first chapter, he conveniently paints the conservative politics of individualism into something disingenuous and hypocritical and backed by a cynical billionaire class. I found this quite clumsy and over simplified. In the second chapter, Lila shows us how a new style of identity-seeking and prioritization nascent within our systems of education is now infecting our politics towards a dead-end. I found his description of this process rather lucid and distinctive. In the final chapter, he paints a hopeful picture of a return to classical liberalism, maintaining its mundane support for core governing institutions that are cautious of but not resisient to progress, yet commits itself to inspiring a common citizenship and reaching towards our best shared ideals. I'll give him credit for his optimism, but little else here.

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