Liberalism in dark times the liberal ethos in the twentieth century

A timely defense of liberalism that draws vital lessons from its greatest midcentury proponents Today, liberalism faces threats from across the political spectrum. While right-wing populists and leftist purists righteously violate liberal norms, theorists of liberalism seem to have little to say. In...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cherniss, Joshua Laurence
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Princeton Princeton University Press 2021, ©2021
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: DeGruyter MPG Collection - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
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245 0 0 |a Liberalism in dark times  |h Elektronische Ressource  |b the liberal ethos in the twentieth century  |c Joshua L. Cherniss 
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505 0 |a Introduction : the vices of virtue : liberalism and the problem of ruthlessness -- "Squeamishness is the crime" : ruthlessness, ethos, and the critique of liberalism -- Between tragedy and utopia : Weber and Lukács on ethics and politics -- A just man : Albert Camus and the search for a decent heroism -- The "morality of prudence" and the fertility of doubt : Raymond Aron's defense of a "realist" liberalism -- Against cynicism and sentimentality : Reinhold Niebuhr's chastened liberal realism -- "The courage of... our doubts and uncertainties" : Isaiah Berlin, ethical moderation, and liberal ethos -- Conclusion : good characters for good liberals? : ethos and the reconstruction of liberalism. 
653 |a Weber, Max, 1864-1920--Political and social views 
653 |a Aron, Raymond, 1905-1983--Political and social views 
653 |a Camus, Albert, 1913-1960--Political and social views 
653 |a Niebuhr, Reinhold, 1892-1971--Political and social views 
653 |a Berlin, Isaiah, 1909-1997--Political and social views 
653 |a Liberalism--Philosophy--History--20th century 
653 |a Liberalism--Moral and ethical aspects 
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520 3 |a A timely defense of liberalism that draws vital lessons from its greatest midcentury proponents Today, liberalism faces threats from across the political spectrum. While right-wing populists and leftist purists righteously violate liberal norms, theorists of liberalism seem to have little to say. In Liberalism in Dark Times, Joshua Cherniss issues a rousing defense of the liberal tradition, drawing on a neglected strand of liberal thought. Assaults on liberalism—a political order characterized by limits on political power and respect for individual rights—are nothing new. Early in the twentieth century, democracy was under attack around the world, with one country after another succumbing to dictatorship. While many intellectuals dismissed liberalism as outdated, unrealistic, or unworthy, a handful of writers defended and reinvigorated the liberal ideal, including Max Weber, Raymond Aron, Albert Camus, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Isaiah Berlin—each of whom is given a compelling new assessment here. Building on the work of these thinkers, Cherniss urges us to imagine liberalism not as a set of policies but as a temperament or disposition—one marked by openness to complexity, willingness to acknowledge uncertainty, tolerance for difference, and resistance to ruthlessness. In the face of rising political fanaticism, he persuasively argues for the continuing importance of this liberal ethos.