The Role of Liberal Theory in American Practice

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Sally Kohn: There's much in American practice that runs against liberal theory. She says the idea that the state should preserve one day for rest for contemplation for prayer, etc., dates back to colonial era and stayed with U.S. after Revolution. In pure liberal theory, not delivering mail on Sunday would be a crime, she says; but it was allowed by Chamber of Commerce Republicans over many years until Jeff Bezos managed to convince postal service to have USPS drivers deliver Amazon products on Sunday.

Sohrab Ahmari is a writer, commentator, and the founding editor of Compact. He is the author of Tyranny, Inc.: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty–and What to Do About It.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Sohrab Ahmari discuss the threat corporate power poses to individual freedom in the United States; whether liberalism has gone too far in prioritizing individual autonomy over the common good; and why they disagree about whether attempting to move beyond liberalism would make things better or worse.

This transcript has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

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