Political (Philosophy) Archives

Liberalism in Dark Times: The Liberal Ethos in the Twentieth Century

A timely defense of liberalism that draws vital lessons from its greatest midcentury proponents

Today, liberalism faces threats from across the political spectrum. While right-wing populists and leftist purists righteously violate liberal norms, theorists of liberalism seem to have little to say. In Liberalism in Dark Times, Joshua Cherniss issues a rousing defense of the liberal tradition, drawing on a neglected strand of liberal thought. […Learn More]

Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk

We are all guilty of it. We call people terrible names in conversation or online. We vilify those with whom we disagree, and make bolder claims than we could defend. We want to be seen as taking the moral high ground not just to make a point, or move a debate forward, but to look a certain
way–incensed, or compassionate, or committed to a cause. We exaggerate. In other words, we grandstand. […Learn More]

Worldmaking After Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self – Determination

Decolonization revolutionized the international order during the twentieth century. Yet standard histories that present the end of colonialism as an inevitable transition from a world of empires to one of nations–a world in which self-determination was synonymous with nation-building–obscure just how radical this change was. […Learn More]