Two Faces of Liberalism

ISBN-13: 9781565846784 / Angielski / Miękka / 2002 / 176 str.

John Gray

Opis

Following on the heels of the widely hailed "False Dawn," this new work by John Gray, &;ldquo;one of Britain s leading intellectuals ("The Wall Street Journal"), offers a thoughtful and provocative analysis of the failure of classical liberalism to keep up with the complex political realities of today s increasingly divided world.

"Two Faces of Liberalism" argues that, from its inception, liberalism contained two contradictory philosophies of tolerance. In one, it advanced the enlightenment project of a universal civilization. In the other, it framed terms for peaceful coexistence between warring communities and different ways of life. Each of these liberal ideals of toleration, developed when a single worldview dominated society, has many historic achievements to its credit. But how relevant is traditional liberalism in a world where Kosovo represents the collapse of the spirit of cohabitation?

In a spirited attack on today s liberal orthodoxies, Gray argues that establishing a "modus vivendi" between different cultures and regimes should be at the heart of contemporary liberalism. In this major contribution to political theory, Gray proposes a new framework for liberal thought that addresses these burning issues.
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