Liberal Freedom: Pluralism, Polarization, and Politics

We seem to be losing the ability to talk to each other about – and despite – our political differences. The liberal tradition, with its emphasis on open-mindedness, toleration, and inclusion, is ideally suited to respond to this challenge. Yet liberalism is often seen today as a barrier to constructive dialogue: narrowly focused on individual rights, indifferent to the communal sources of human well-being, and deeply implicated in structures of economic and social domination. This book provides a novel defense of liberalism that weaves together a commitment to republican self-government, an emphasis on the value of unregulated choice, and an appreciation of how hard it is to strike a balance between them. By treating freedom rather than justice as the central liberal value this important book, critical to the times, provides an indispensable resource for constructive dialogue in a time of political polarization.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Introduction why liberalism? why freedom?; 1. Free actions and free persons; 2. Republican freedom; 3. Market freedom; 4. The liberal tradition; 5. Liberalism and the problem of polarization; Conclusion.

About the Author :
Eric MacGilvray is Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University.

Review :
'Although the book is just over two hundred pages, it covers a great deal of ground and is clearly written. It will be accessible to advanced undergraduates and an important text for graduate students and scholars to engage with. … Recommended.' J. D. Moon, Choice 'In this ambitious and densely argued book, Eric MacGilvray seeks to replace justice-centered accounts of liberalism with an alternative that puts freedom at its heart, a shift that he claims is more faithful to the liberal tradition.' William A. Galston, The Review of Politics 'Some books are great because they invent entirely novel ideas or theories. Others are great because they take existing ideas or theories and build on or deepen them. And still others are great because they transform the way we think about familiar ideas or theories we thought we understood already. Eric MacGilvray's Liberal Freedom: Pluralism, Polarization, and Politics is great in the third of these ways. He recasts not just one, but two big ideas. … Sometimes, though not always, promoting freedom from domination will entail restricting market freedom. By offering fresh new ways to think about these tensions, MacGilvray's book helps us see clearly what is really at stake.' Frank Lovett, Perspectives on Politics 'Liberal Freedom is a tightly organized and wide-ranging book that will interest political philosophers and anyone engaged with liberal political thought. …MacGilvray provides a rich and erudite account of overlapping contemporary debates about freedom, responsibility, markets, republicanism, and liberalism, alongside an impressive control of the history of these debates. He is a virtuoso of calm provocation, taking issue with most of the mainstream conceptions of liberalism and libertarianism, as well as with their critics, often briskly disposing of them. … this book should play an important role in debates about liberalism's future.' Matthew Festenstein, Ethics 'Eric MacGilvray … recasts not just one, but two big ideas … Promoting freedom from domination will entail restricting market freedom. By offering fresh new ways to think about these tensions, MacGilvray's book helps us see clearly what is really at stake.' Frank Lovett, Perspectives on Politics