Rethinking Open Society: New Adversaries and New Opportunities

The key values of the Open Society – freedom, justice, tolerance, democracy, and respect for knowledge – are increasingly under threat in today’s world. As an effort to uphold those values, this volume brings together some of the key political, social and economic thinkers of our time to re-examine the Open Society closely in terms of its history, its achievements and failures, and its future prospects. Based on the lecture series Rethinking Open Society, which took place between 2017 and 2018 at the Central European University, the volume is deeply embedded in the history and purpose of CEU, its Open Society mission, and its belief in educating skeptical, but passionate citizens.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Michael Ignatieff PART I. The Open Society Ideal: For and Against A Conversation Between Mark Lilla and Michael Ignatieff Mark Lilla and Michael Ignatieff The Open Society from a Conservative Perspective Roger Scruton Educating Skeptical but Passionate Citizens: The Open Society Ideal as a University Mission Stefan Roch PART II. Open Society in Practice: Democracy, Rule of Law, Free Speech and Secularism Democracy Defended and Challenged Thomas Christiano Free Speech and the Defence of an Open Society Timothy Garton Ash Religion in the Open Society Tim Crane Constitutionalism in Closing Societies Andras Sajo PART III. Open Society in 21st Century Geopolitics Open Societies at Home and Abroad Stephen Walt Open Society and 21st century Globalization [Network Approach] Niall Ferguson Eurasia, Europe, and the Question of U.S. Leadership Robert Kaplan Germany and the Fate of Open Society in Europe Daniela Schwarzer War and Open Society Margaret MacMillan PART IV. Open Society’s New Enemies: The Authoritarian Competitors How Can Populism Be Defeated? Jan-Werner Müller Beyond Demagoguery? The Contemporary Crisis of Political Communication Erica Benner Populism and Democracy in Europe: History and Theory Pierre Rosanvallon The Enduring Appeal of the One-Party State Anne Applebaum PART V. From Transition to Backsliding: Did Open Societies Fail? Capitalism and Democracy in East Central Europe: A Sequence of Crises Dorothee Bohle Perhapsburg: Reflections on the Fragility and Resilience of Europe Ivan Krastev European Divides: Crisis of Democracy, Nationhood, Multiculturalism Jacques Rupnik The Open Society and the Problem of Corruption: Diagnosis and Remedies Alina Mungiu Pippidi The Political Economy of Open Society in East-Central Europe: Recent Trends Béla Greskovits Conclusion Michael Ignatieff

About the Author :
Michael Ignatieff served as President and Rector of CEU between 2016 and 2021. He now is a professor in CEU's history department. Ignatieff comes to CEU after serving as Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice of the Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Stefan Roch is researcher at the Central European University.

Review :
"When did the open society become so monotone? And what if the world doesn't want its problems solved by self-congratulatory people? The result of this gulf in understanding is written across our politics. Attitudes to higher education was one of the key factors in the vote for Donald Trump. In the Brexit referendum, whether or not someone went to university Was a stronger indicator of how they might vote than gender, age, or class. The essays in this book, which are based on a series of talks given at the Central European University in Budapest, show a clear awareness of this fault line."