Author : Bert van den Brink
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2000-08-24
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780791492161
The Tragedy of Liberalism by Bert van den Brink Pdf
Drawing on recent developments in liberal theory, Bert van den Brink develops an alternative defense of liberalism. He argues that liberal theorists should admit that their doctrine is not neutral with regard to conceptions of the good life—that it in fact fosters ideals of personal autonomy and a pluralist environment. These ideals generate irreconcilable, tragic conflicts between liberal and nonliberal ideals, and it is only by taking these conflicts seriously that liberals can learn of the unwanted consequences of liberal doctrine, effectively rebut critics, and react adequately to the complex pluralism of contemporary societies.