Author Meets Critics: The Future of Liberalism

Spring 2009 Events

Alan Wolfe, 艾可直播 College
Mary Sarah Bilder, 艾可直播 College
Daniel J. Mahoney,听础蝉蝉耻尘辫迟颈辞苍听颁辞濒濒别驳别

Date:听April 29, 2009

Abstract

A compelling and deeply felt exploration and defense of liberalism: what it actually is, why it is relevant today, and how it can help our society chart a forward course.听The Future of Liberalism听represents the culmination of four decades of thinking and writing about contemporary politics by Alan Wolfe.

But Wolfe also makes it clear that before liberalism can be successfully applied to today鈥檚 problems, it needs to be recovered, understood, and embraced鈥攏ot just by Americans but by all modern people鈥攁s the most beneficial way to live in our complex modern world.听The Future of Liberalism听is a crucial, enlightening and immensely rewarding step in that direction.

Speaker Bio

Alan Wolfe听is the founding director of the Boisi Center and Professor of Political Science at 艾可直播 College. He received his doctorate in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1967. He has honorary degrees from Loyola College in Maryland and St. Joseph鈥檚 University in Philadelphia. Wolfe is author of more than a dozen books, including听The Future of Liberalism听(Knopf, 2009),听听(Yale, 2006),听听(Penguin, 1999) 补苍诲听听(Free Press, 2003). Widely considered one of the nation's most prominent public intellectuals, he is an editor at听The New Republic, a听frequent听contributor to听The New听York Times,听迟丑别听Atlantic Monthly听补苍诲听Washington Post, and has delivered lectures across the United States, Europe and Middle East. (More info on Alan Wolfe...)

Mary Sarah Bilder听is a Professor of听Law teaching in the areas of property and American legal and constitutional history at 艾可直播 College Law School. She also is the Michael听and Helen Lee Distinguished Scholar.听She received her J.D.听from Harvard Law School and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in the History of American Civilization. She writes primarily in the area of constitutionalism and colonial American legal culture. She is the author of听The Transatlantic Constitution: Colonial Legal Culture and the Empire听(Harvard University Press, 2004), awarded the Littleton-Griswold Award from the American Historical Association. Her articles appear in 迟丑别听Many Legalities of Early America,听迟丑别听Cambridge History of Law in America, and law reviews, including the Yale Law Journal, the Stanford Law Review, the Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities听补苍诲听the Hastings Law Journal. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of Law and History Review, the Council of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, the Board of Overseers of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Historical Society, and is a member of the American Law Institute.

Daniel J. Mahoney听is Professor of Political Science at Assumption College in Worcester, MA. He is the author and editor of听eleven books, including most recently听The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947-2005,听which was released in a paperback edition in January of 2009. His essays and reviews on a wide variety of topics have appeared in听The National Interest, The Public Interest, First Things, The New Criterion, The Wall Street Journal, The European Journal of Political Theory听补苍诲听Perspectives on Political Science, among other places. He is book review editor of听厂辞肠颈别迟测听and associate editor of听Perspectives on Political Science. In 1999 he was the recipient of the Prix Raymond Aron. He is presently completing a book entitled听Defending Truth and Liberty: The Conservative Foundations of the Liberal Order.

Event Photos

From left to right: Erik Owens, Daniel Mahoney, Alan Wolfe and Mary Sarah Bilder

Alan Wolfe and Daniel Mahoney

Erik Owens

Alan Wolfe

Mary Sarah Bilder

Daniel Mahoney

Photos by 艾可直播 College MTS Photography

Event Recap

The Boisi Center鈥檚 final event of the year focused on Alan Wolfe鈥檚 newest book,听The Future of Liberalism听(Knopf, 2009). Wolfe was joined by friendly critics Mary Sarah Bilder, Professor of Law, a legal historian at 艾可直播 College School of Law, and Daniel Mahoney, Professor of Political Science, a political philosopher at Assumption College. Liberalism, argued Wolfe in his opening remarks, is grounded in the principle that as many people as possible should have as much control over their lives as possible. Liberty and equality, he said, are mutually reinforcing, not contradictory, as some theorists would have it; a person cannot lead a life of dignity and self-respect if those around her are not able to do the same.

Bilder praised Wolfe鈥檚 historical method and sensibility but argued that his account of John Locke required more nuance. Locke, she argued, was at once both deeply conservative (in his views on property ownership and race) and unusually liberal (in his promotion of religious tolerance). Mahoney welcomed Wolfe鈥檚 call for a liberalism that is both self-critical and friendly to religion, but critiqued what he saw as liberalism鈥檚 reliance on the state for promulgation of its ends. The ensuing Q&A session brought spirited discussion of liberal means and ends in the Obama era.

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