Liberal modernity and its adversaries : freedom, liberalism and anti-liberalism in the 21st century / by Milan Zafirovski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zafirovski, Milan, 1958-

Series:

Studies in critical social sciences 1573-4234 ; v. 10.

Studies in critical social sciences, 1573-4234 ; v. 10

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberalism.

Social history--21st century.

Social history.

Physical Description:

ix, 579 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, The Netherlands ; Boston : Brill, 2007.

Summary:

This is a book about modern liberal society and its adversaries. The book rediscovers and rehabilitates much maligned, especially in America, liberalism as the ideal and system of liberty in relation to anti-liberalism as one of un-freedom. It rediscovers liberal modernity as a free, equal and just social system and time, thus most compatible with and enhancing of human civilization ushering in the 21st century. It exposes anti-liberal adversaries, especially conservatism, as ideologies and systems most inappropriate with and destructive of civilization. The book rediscovers liberal modernity as the master process and destination of Western civilization, and its anti-liberal adversaries, notably conservatism, as the ghosts of a dead past. The anti-liberal rumors of the 'death' of liberalism are 'greatly exaggerated'.

Contents:

Studying Liberal Society and Modernity 1

Liberal Modernity: Realization of the Perennial Quest for Liberty 7

Concept and Reality of Liberal Modernity 14

Dimensions of Liberal Modernity 15

Liberal Modernity and its Adversaries 17

Liberal Society and Contemporary Western Civilization 23

Liberalism: Idealism and Institutionalism of Liberty 24

Ideal and Social System of Liberty 26

The Ideal and Social System of Liberty, Equality and Justice 29

Synthesis of Liberty and Equality: Freedom and Egalitarianism 29

Synthesis of Liberty and Justice: Freedom and Equity 39

Chapter 2 Liberal Society and Modernity: Ideals and Institutions of Liberalism 45

Integral Liberty 46

Integration of Economic and Social Liberty 48

Integration of Negative and Positive Freedom 50

Integration of Formal and Substantive Freedom 54

Integration of Individual and Public Liberty 55

Social Foundations of Liberty 57

Liberal Egalitarianism: Comprehensive Social Equality and Inclusion 61

Liberal Sociological-Economic Egalitarian Arguments 62

Liberal and Other Egalitarianism 65

Integral Egalitarianism 73

Liberal Justice: Universal Social Equity 76

Liberal Sociological-Economic Justice Arguments 80

Liberal Democracy 81

The Liberal System of Political Liberty, Equality and Justice 81

Modern Democracy, Liberalism and Anti-Liberalism 83

Societal Pluralism 89

Political Pluralism 91

Political Neutrality and Tolerance 92

Cultural Pluralism and Tolerance 104

Social Universalism 110

Universalism, Particularism and Pluralism 111

Individualism 116

Social vs. Atomistic Individualism 120

Individual Liberty, Universal Rights and Dignity 121

Other Principles and Institutions of Liberalism 126

Rationalism, Modernism, Progressivism and Optimism 126

Liberal Humanism and Secularism 130

Liberal Pacifism 136

Chapter 3 Social Factors and Effects of Liberalism 147

The Sociological Constitution of Liberalism 147

The Class Structure of Liberalism 149

The Historical Conjuncture of Liberalism 156

Liberal Society's Genesis and Evolution - Social Origins and Development of Liberalism 166

The Enlightenment: The True Genesis of Liberalism and the Project of Liberal Society 171

Modern Enlightenment versus Medieval Darkness 172

Elements of Liberal Modernity in the Enlightenment 180

Enlightenment and the Conservative-Authoritarian Reaction 183

The Enlightenment-Conservative Antinomies 188

The Enlightenment and Rationalism 192

The Enlightenment and Integral Liberty 198

The Enlightenment and Societal Modernism 205

The Enlightenment and Egalitarianism 211

The Enlightenment and Liberal Democracy 215

The "Neo-Enlightenment" 223

Strands and Instances of the Enlightenment 231

The Enlightenment, the French/American Revolution and Modern Liberalism 237

Chapter 4 Types of Liberalism 249

Classical Liberalism 249

British and Continental-European Original Liberalism 250

Liberty in Society 253

A System of Liberty, Equality and Justice 258

Classical Sociological Liberalism 261

Critiques and Revisions of Classical Liberalism 264

Contemporary Liberalism 268

Modern American Liberalism 269

Economic Liberalism 284

Classical Economic Liberalism 289

Contemporary Economic Liberalism 297

Economic Liberalism and Historical Stages of Capitalism 301

Economic Liberalism and Sociological Types of Capitalism 304

Economic Liberalism and Comparative Capitalist Systems 305

Social Liberalism 312

Political and Cultural Liberalism 312

Classical and Contemporary Social Liberalism 322

Neo-Liberalism: "New" Liberalism or Neo-Conservatism? 324

Liberalism and Libertarianism 332

Partial and Extreme Economic "Liberalism" 333

Economic Non-Liberalism 340

Social Non-Liberalism 344

Libertarianism versus Modernized Liberalism 349

Appendix Other Classifications of Liberalism 352

Chapter 5 Liberal Democracy: Political Liberalism 357

Liberalism and Democracy 357

Liberal Democracy and its Adversaries 358

The Liberal-Democratic Link and Its Detractors 359

Liberalization and Democratization 367

Liberal Democracy and Political Liberty 368

Formal and Substantive Political Liberty 369

Constitutional and Liberal Democracy 374

Positive and Negative Political Liberty 379

Individual and Collective Political Liberty 382

Liberal Democracy and Political Pluralism 384

Political Pluralism and Freedom 384

Formal and Substantive Political Pluralism 385

Liberal Democracy and Political Egalitarianism 395

Integral Political Equality 395

Liberal Democracy and Justice 411

Political Egalitarianism and Justice in Liberal Democracy 411

Integral Political Justice 414

Liberal Democracy and Political Universalism 420

Liberal Political Universalism and Inclusion vs. Illiberal Particularism and Exclusion 420

Universalistic Political Culture 423

Modern Liberal and Illiberal Democracies and Universalism 424

Liberal Democracy and Secularism 432

Formal Secularism: A Secular Liberal State 434

Substantive Secularism: Secular Liberal Society 437

Liberal Democracy and Rationalism 443

Political Rationalism versus Economic Rationality 444

Public Use of Reason 445

Liberal Democracy and Humanism 449

Liberal Democracy and Human Liberties, Rights and Life 452

Liberal Humanism and the Welfare State 455

Political Liberalism and the Welfare State 462

Chapter 6 Liberal Civil Society and Culture: Socio-Cultural Liberalism 473

Liberalism and Civil Society 473

Liberal Civil Society and Social Liberty 475

Economic and Non-Economic Liberties 476

Individual and Group Liberties, Rights and Identities 480

The 'Dark Side' of Liberal Civil Society and Anti-Liberalism 484

Liberal Culture 487

Enlightenment Culture 487

Liberal Multiculturalism 493

Moral Liberalism 498

Liberal Morality: Moral Liberty and Individualism 498

Liberal Moral Virtue 504

Ethical Universalism and Humanism 506

Ethical Rationalism 510

Religious Liberalism 516

Liberal Religious Freedom 516

Secular Civil Society and Culture 533.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [553]-569) and index.

ISBN:

9004160523

9789004160521

OCLC:

156780762