Post-liberalism: Studies in Political ThoughtJohn Gray has become one of our liveliest and most influential political philosophers. This current volume is a sequel to his Liberalisms: Essays in Political Philosophy. The earlier book ended on a sceptical note, both in respect of what a post-liberal political philosophy might look like, and with respect to the claims of political philosophy itself. John Gray's new book gives post-liberal theory a more definite content. It does so by considering particular thinkers in the history of political thought, by criticizing the conventional wisdom, liberal and socialist, of the Western academic class, and most directly by specifying what remains of value in liberalism. The upshot of this line of thought is that we need not regret the failure of foundationalist liberalism, since we have all we need in the historic inheritance of the institutions of civil society. It is to the practice of liberty that these institutions encompass, rather than to empty liberal theory, that we should repair. |
Contents
Hobbes and the modern state | 3 |
Santayana and the critique of liberalism | 18 |
Hayek as a conservative | 32 |
Oakeshott as a liberal | 40 |
Buchanan on liberty | 47 |
Berlins agonistic liberalism | 64 |
The system of ruins | 73 |
The delusion of glasnost | 85 |
a fictionalist deconstruction | 196 |
Posttotalitarianism civil society and the limits of the Western | 202 |
Political power social theory and essential contestability | 216 |
An epitaph for liberalism | 238 |
The end of history or of liberalism? | 245 |
The politics of cultural diversity | 253 |
Conservatism individualism and the political thought of | 272 |
Notes | 329 |
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Common terms and phrases
achieved agent argued autonomy Berlin's Buchanan's capitalism capitalist central civil association civil society claim classical liberalism Cohen Cohen's argument collective unfreedom common Communist conception condition conflicts conservatism conservative constitutive contemporary context contractarian criticism cultural democracy depends distinctive diversity doctrine economic embody Essays essential contestability F.A. Hayek forced forms freedom G.A. Cohen glasnost Hayek historical Hobbes Hobbesian Homo economicus human nature ibid idea ideology incommensurable individual individualist inheritance institutions intellectual interests judgements justice labour power liberty lives London Lukes and Connolly market socialism Marx Marx's Marxian Marxism Michael Oakeshott modern moral nomenklatura Oakeshott perestroika perspective pluralism political philosophy post-Communist post-totalitarianism practice presupposes private property production proletarian radical rational reason reform regimes repression Revai rule of law Russian Santayana's social theory socialist Sorel Soviet totalitarianism Soviet Union thesis thought tions totalitarian traditions unfree universal value-pluralism values variety virtue Western workers