Shield of the Republic The Dark Forces Conspiring Against Democracy (w/ Bill Galston)
Oct 19, 2025
Bill Galston, a Senior Fellow at Brookings and author of 'Anger, Fear, Domination', dives into the dark passions driving politics today. He explains how liberal democrats often underestimate these forces and discusses the historical roots of illiberalism. The conversation touches on whether the left or right displays more illiberal tendencies, assessing the vulnerabilities of US democracy in a global context. Galston advocates for transformative rhetoric to restore public confidence and highlights potential threats to institutions and elections.
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Liberalism's Blind Spot On Dark Passions
- Liberal thought historically underestimated 'dark passions' like anger, fear, and domination that distort politics.
- Postwar optimism and faith in reason or commerce blinded liberals to these recurring forces.
Commerce And Reason Aren't Antidotes
- Enlightenment-era faith in reason and commerce assumed self-interest or trade would suppress violent passions.
- History shows anger and fear can override rational cost-benefit calculations and produce war or upheaval.
Norman Angell's Great Irony
- Norman Angell published The Great Illusion in 1913 arguing commerce made war irrational.
- He won a Nobel Prize in 1933 despite World War I proving his thesis disastrously wrong.
