Liberalism Pro and Con is a primer. I identify the most influential arguments for liberalism and present them in their strongest form, with supporting quotations from leading thinkers who make that argument. I then do the same with the most influential arguments against liberalism.
Before you decide your politics, you must know these arguments.
The references include 198 quotations with sources direct from liberal and anti-liberal thinkers, including Plato, Nietzsche, Hayek, Marx, St. Augustine, Calvin, Rand, Friedman, Solzhenitsyn, Hume, Skinner, Sunstein, Popper, Keynes, Stiglitz, Rousseau, MacKinnon, Rorty, Scruton, Rawls, Clausewitz, Foucault, Aristotle, Strauss, Schmitt, Mill, Lyotard, Sombart, Locke, Smith, Hegel, and dozens of other major thinkers.
Liberals must know and have a good response to each of the anti-liberal arguments.
Anti-liberals must know and have a good response to each of the liberal arguments.
There are no shortcuts, so this book is meant for serious students and scholars of politics only.
Available in the United States via Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/to5vufo. Available in Australia via Connor Court: https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/Liberalism-Pro-Con–Stephen-Hicks-_p_338.html.
This is really great Dr. Hicks. As a reasonably new student of philosophy I have been very eager to find sources of information which comprehensively steel-man the best arguments for and against liberty from philosophers across the ages, and your book should hopefully provide that for me, so thank you very much for taking the time to write it.
Thanks for writing this. It will be a good addition to my book collection.
The first task will be to define what the word “liberalism” actually means. For example, if J.M. Keynes was a liberal then Prime Minister Gladstone and President Grover Cleveland were NOT (and if they were liberals – then Professor Keynes was NOT).
>>The first task will be to define what the word “liberalism” actually means.
Indeed. Page 1 of the new book defines the key term.
Will there be a kindle version?
Yes! Coming soon.
I have read and enjoyed your postmodernism book previous to this one. In fact, I read it twice. Have listened to your interviews as I walk. I find your explanations very clear and delivered with a quiet confidence.
I look forward to reading your new book, but I do have one question. How does your understanding of liberalism stack up against the John Kekes and James Fitzjames Stephen view? I find their arguments very compelling also.
Thank you Dr Hicks for your excellent work.
Mike Heil