Danube Institute Podcast The Collapse of Global Liberalism
Jul 11, 2024
Philip Pilkington, a political economist and journalist, delves into the impending collapse of global liberalism. He argues that the current interpretations of liberalism misrepresent its complex history, rooted in dismantling unjust hierarchies. The discussion highlights systemic failures within the post-World War II order and the paradoxes of liberal thought, including its tensions with Marxism. Pilkington also critically examines hyper-liberalism's rise since the 1990s and explores what may come next in a world increasingly resistant to liberal ideals.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Liberalism Targets Arbitrary Hierarchies
- Liberalism is primarily an ideological project against monarchy and arbitrary hierarchies rather than just a mid-point between left and right.
- Philip Pilkington argues leveling arbitrary hierarchies is the core animating principle of liberal thought.
English Civil War As Proto-Liberal Moment
- The English Civil War reads better as a conflict between rising liberal forces and pre-liberal hierarchical orders than as a simple constitutional dispute.
- Pilkington links Cromwell and Puritanism to early proto-liberal republican experiments and ideological change.
Liberalism's Expansionary Impulse
- Liberalism is inherently expansionist because ideological programs aim to spread themselves beyond initial confines.
- The French Revolution exemplifies liberalism's revolutionary and universalizing tendencies that often provoke strong reactions.
