![]() ![]() It provides a great counter/corrective both to the stale universe of Anglo-American liberal democratic theory (which often seems so clinical and removed from real peoples’ political lives and problems), as well as to many conservative attacks on liberalism (which tend to assume that liberalism is supposed to be value-neutral). The Lost History of Liberalism reveals historical liberalism’s moral complexity, and also tracks the history of bad-faith reactionary attacks on liberal philosophy. Within a few chapters, Rosenblatt does away the notion that there is any simple way of understanding liberalism, by demonstrating how meanings shift around historically. I was skeptical about this at first, fearing that it would be too narrow or boring, but not for long. ![]() Rosenblatt approaches her subject from a linguistic perspective: she traces the meaning of the word liberalism back through history, and then interprets out from there. ![]() This is an academic book, but it’s still pretty accessible and has impressive breadth. The Lost History of Liberalism, by Helena Rosenblatt. ![]() Here are five books that helped me through it: This has been a humbling year full of turmoil and strife. ![]()
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