Quillette Podcast The End of Woke
8 snips
Sep 25, 2025 
Join Andrew Doyle, a writer and satirist known for his work on free speech, as he discusses his latest book on the cultural clash of woke culture and classical liberalism. Doyle critiques the misunderstandings surrounding liberalism, emphasizing its ideals of autonomy and responsibility. He advocates for the preservation of cultural institutions and the rule of law to ensure liberal principles thrive. With sharp insights into the nature of freedom versus license, Doyle sheds light on the essential traits of anti-authoritarianism and social responsibility.
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Liberalism As Overlapping Principles
- Doyle defines liberalism via overlapping ideals rather than a single thinker or doctrine.
- He lists autonomy, rule of law, meritocracy, free speech, and social responsibility as core principles.
Use Classics As Guides, Not Rulebooks
- Drawing on thinkers like Milton, Locke, Hobbes, and Mill helps map liberalism's variations without creating a rigid doctrine.
- Doyle rejects using a single historical text as a rulebook and treats these works as guides to overlapping ideals.
Institutions Cultivate Liberalism
- Liberalism requires cultivated social institutions and a long-developed social contract to function well.
- Doyle warns that tearing down cultural institutions risks destroying the conditions that allow liberalism to flourish.
