Adrian Wooldridge: Can Liberalism Save Itself?
Summary
Adrian Wooldridge discusses his book *Centrists of the World Unite*, arguing that liberalism must rediscover its deeper traditions of self-government and moral formation to survive. He critiques the current "lost genius" of liberalism, which he sees as reduced to mere tolerance or free markets, and proposes a "chastened" approach that balances individualism with cultural excellence. The conversation explores how liberalism responds to modernity’s constant change, examining proto-liberal thinkers like Erasmus, Hobbes, and Montesquieu to address contemporary crises of populism and institution…
Topics discussed
Sponsorship and introduction to the episode
Guest introduction: Adrian Wooldridge and his new book
Defining the essence of liberalism and its evolution
Liberalism as a response to the static pre-modern world
The metaphysics of change and the post-liberal critique
Erasmus, the via media, and the temperament of liberalism
The paradox of tolerance and institutionalized liberalism
Thomas Hobbes as a proto-liberal and the Leviathan
Individualism vs. relational personhood and self-improvement
John Stuart Mill and the hierarchy of pleasures
Montesquieu, separation of powers, and the corruption of power
The corrosive nature of mocking political leaders
The failure of the 1980s liberal synthesis
Sclerotic institutions and the spirit of constitutionalism
Fukuyama vs. Huntington: Universalism and civilizational clash
Meritocracy, open competition, and the Chinese model
The attack on truth and reason from the populist left
Identitarianism and the danger of group-based essentialism
The retreat of elite liberals and the threat of majorities
The historical reinvention of liberalism from 19th to 20th century
The need for a liberal international hegemon
The decline of British and American imperial stewardship
The China shock and the erosion of the global middle class
The radical center: economic regulation and cultural conservatism
Christian humanism and the roots of liberal culture
Digital degradation and the future of moral probity
Conclusion and show credits
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