Wisdom of Crowds

Liberalism is not Neutral

May 31, 2024

Philosopher Alexandre Lefebvre discusses how liberalism is not a neutral political system, but a way of life with its own values. Topics include liberalism's grounding of preferences, defense of human dignity, and the role of personal freedom. The conversation also explores how religious individuals fit into liberalism, and how liberalism leads to playfulness and redemption.

51:19

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Episode guests

Alexandre Lefebvre

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Quick takeaways

Liberalism encompasses values beyond politics, shaping personal conduct and daily life.

The origins of values for religious individuals in secular societies and their alignment with liberalism are discussed.

The interplay of personal freedom, moral commitments, and societal well-being within liberalism is examined through language use.

Deep dives

Liberalism as a Way of Life Defined

Liberalism is explored as more than just a political ideology in the podcast. It delves into the concept of liberalism as a comprehensive way of life, akin to a religion or a guiding principle for personal conduct. The speaker emphasizes that liberalism extends beyond governmental structures and legal systems, permeating into various facets of daily life such as child-rearing, relationships, work ethics, and entertainment.

Introduction

3min

Liberalism in Secular Society

24min

Exploring the Concept of Cruelty from a Liberal Point of View

2min

Exploring Personal Freedom in Liberalism

9min

Exploring Liberalism through Pop Culture and Swear Words

5min

Taboos and Taboos: From Historical Roots to Modern Manifestations

8min

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live

Conservatives often argue that liberalism is not a neutral political system. Liberalism, they say, has values of its own. It sneakily promotes these values as normative, and even good, for the citizens of liberal societies — whether those citizens like it or not.

The philosopher and self-proclaimed liberal Alexandre Lefebvre believes that, empirically speaking, this conservative critique is pretty much true. As the title of his new book, Liberalism as a Way of Life, suggests, liberals should own up to the fact that they believe in more than a political system. They believe in a way of life. But a way of life requires values, and where do liberals get their values from?

Christine and Shadi talk to Alex about these questions and more in a probing, contentious examination of Alex’s book. How does liberalism ground its preferences? How does it defend the idea of human dignity? Why is personal freedom a good thing? Moreover, how do religious people, who want to live in a liberal political society without necessarily believing in liberalism as a way of life, fit into Alex’s theory?

In the bonus section for paid subscribers, Alex explains why becoming a true liberal requires overcoming your “inner Karen,” and Christine and Shadi quiz Alex on his list of the seventeen joys of liberalism. How does liberalism lead to playfulness? What about redemption? Find out by listening to this rapid-fire, ideas-packed episode.

Required Reading:

* Liberalism as a Way of Life by Alexandre Lefebvre.

* Alex’s personal website.

* “Natural Law” (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

* Justice: Rights and Wrongs by Nicholas Wolterstorff.

* Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World by Tom Holland.

* “John Rawls” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

* Ordinary Vices by Judith N. Shklar.

* Disney Princess (tvtropes.org).

* “Carl Schmitt” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

* Irving Kristol: A conservative is a liberal who was “mugged by reality.”

* Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation (hhs.gov).