Why Has Liberalism Become Illiberal and Intolerant?

Because Liberalism Has Become Estranged From Democracy

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For these people Intolerance trumps Tolerance

Over the years I have spent a lot of time exploring the illiberal turn of liberalism. As someone who adheres to many of the values of classical liberalism - freedom, particularly free speech, tolerance, valorisation of human agency, autonomy - I have become concerned with the intolerant and illiberal attitudes expressed by liberals, particularly in the Anglo- American world. In the study outlined below, I focus on liberalism’s estrangement from democratic decision making and its elitist outlook. The study has been published as a monograph in The Journal of Illiberalism Studies.

Next year I begin work on a subject that serves as a counterpoint to the illiberal turn of liberalism, which is why conservatism has failed to achieve intellectual authority.

I hope you will find time to look through the essay over the holiday break. I would like to wish all my readers a great Christmas and Hanukkah and hope that you will find what you are looking for next year.

Happy New Year to all!

Next year I am going to go all out into an exploration of the Culture Wars. I hope that you will continue with our journey and join me in our mutual quest for intellectual clarity.

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Illiberal Liberalism: A Genealogy

by Frank Furedi

In contemporary discussions, illiberalism tends to be associated with right-wing populism, authoritarianism or conservatism. Now and again, concern about the growth of illiberalism in Anglo-American higher education and about some of the anti-universalistic impulses driving identity politics has led some liberal academics and commentators to raise concerns about a strikingly different form of illiberalism: the “creeping illiberalism” influencing university campuses. However, although this trend has rightly been perceived as illiberal, there has been a reluctance to elaborate its relationship to contemporary forms of liberalism.

The acquiescence of individuals who perceive themselves as liberals to the policing of dissenting viewpoints suggests that far from being confined to the authoritarian right, manifestations of illiberalism are evident within the ranks of self-defined liberals. In her discussion of the history of illiberalism, Helena Rosenblatt suggests that those who highlight this development are likely to be enemies of liberalism because they “claim that liberalism is itself illiberal or, at least, that it breeds illiberal sentiments and practices.” In contrast to such claims, we argue that illiberal liberalism is antithetical to the spirit and values of liberalism. This phenomenon expresses the failure to act in accordance with liberalism’s foundational values.

Illiberal liberals often think of themselves as liberals. But their version of liberalism has little to do with the classical Enlightenment version of this doctrine. Classical liberalism asserts the primacy of the status of the individual and supports its autonomy. It upholds the value of tolerance and freedom in its different forms—from the freedom to own property to the freedom of speech. By upholding the moral worth of all humans, it is both egalitarian and universalistic. Illiberal liberalism, particularly in its current version of identity politics, calls into question the value of these principles and often shows itself to be as intolerant as the authoritarian movements it criticises.

By adopting a perspective based on the sociology of history, this contribution explores the genealogy of the convergence of liberalism with illiberal attitudes toward public life. We argue that illiberal liberalism stems from liberalism’s uneasy relationship with public opinion, majoritarianism, and democracy. This sentiment is underpinned by the conviction that most individuals, especially when they are part of a wider public, lack the moral and intellectual resources to act as reasoning people. As a result, often illiberal conclusions are drawn about the status of individual reasoning, individual autonomy, and the exercise of freedom.

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https://www.illiberalism.org/illiberal-liberalism-a-genealogy/