Michael Walzer, professor emeritus at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, is worried about the current state and future fate of liberalism. In his new book, The Struggle for a Decent Politics: On “Liberal” as an Adjective, Walzer attempts to describe a type of liberalism that retains the commitment to openness, compassion and robust economic reform while rejecting the authoritarian political tendencies on the left and right.
The right wing has partially succeeded in making “liberal” a political indictment, synonymous with cultural extremism, government overreach and lack of patriotism. While some on the left see liberalism as complacent at best and often a servant of military aggression, Walzer reminds us that American liberals have also been at the center of every struggle for social and economic justice throughout our history.
