Sustainable Liberalism

This book explains the genesis of liberalism, the striking parallels between the two major crises it faced and is facing in the 1920s to 1940s and in the 2020s respectively, as well as the validity of its basic tenets in economic policies, constitutional thought, and international law. Written with a strong commitment to the moral principles that grounded the liberal program, it recognizes various factors that threaten its sustainability, such as the self-destructive tendencies of an economic system not recognizing limits and built only on rational egoism, the disconnection of populist politics from the rule of law, and the increasing replacement of international law by great power politics. It combines history of ideas, political analysis of the present, and normative positions in political ethics.

Vittorio Hösle is the Adelmann Chair at Boston College. He is the author of many works, including Hegels System (1987), Moral und Politik (1997), and Der philosophische Dialog (2006).