New Books Network Matt Sleat, "Post-Liberalism" (Polity, 2025)
Dec 12, 2025
In this discussion, Matt Sleat, Reader in Political Theory at the University of Sheffield, delves into the emerging landscape of post-liberalism. He contrasts post-liberal thinkers like Adrian Vermeule and Patrick Deneen, highlighting their differing visions of community and governance. The conversation explores the challenges of post-liberalism in pluralistic societies and critiques how it caricatures liberalism to gain traction. Sleat suggests that a more robust liberal response could counterbalance post-liberal sentiments effectively.
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Core Pillars Of Post-Liberal Thought
- Post-liberalism centers the common good over individual freedom and rejects liberalism wholesale.
- It combines perfectionism, confessional Christianity, a strong interventionist state, and elitism.
Deneen Versus Vermeule: Different Radicalisms
- Patrick Deneen favors socially conservative goals with interventionist economics but stops short of abolishing pluralism.
- Adrian Vermeule endorses integralism and a far more radical religiously based civic order.
Different Views On Coercion And Popular Support
- Deneen claims ordinary people already hold post-liberal values and require no coercion to implement them.
- Vermeule accepts that power and coercion may be needed to reshape citizens' beliefs into post-liberal conformity.
