The Liberal Predicament

I’ve just started a book entitled Liberalism in Dark Times by Joshua L. Cherniss.  The “liberalism” referred to is sometimes known as English liberal thought, and it includes free and fair elections, free speech and press, a loyal opposition, tolerance, and rational discussion of issues.  You know, the kind of thing our Founding Fathers believed in.

The term “Liberal Predicament” was coined by political philosopher Isaiah Berlin.  Berlin asks what a believer in liberalism is to do when confronted by ruthless people who don’t believe in those values.  If you hold dear to your own reasonable and tolerant beliefs, you will get run over.  If you fight back ruthlessly, aren’t you just as bad as the people you are fighting?  That is the predicament.  

I’ll let you know the answer when I finish the book, but it is a slog.  The bibliography alone is 28 pages long.  I hope to finish it by the end of the summer.