The useful fuzziness of liberalism

Janan Ganesh argues that liberalism faces a third threat that is rarely discussed: a confusion about what the creed consists of, making it difficult to defend.

March 18, 2023 . 4:38 PM

1 min read

Liberalism is facing a third threat, which is a confusion about what the creed consists of.
Liberalism has been the ruling idea in the West for so long that it tends not to be taught or discussed from first principles.
Liberals often use rote-learned phrases like “free speech” and “rule of law” without really understanding their meaning.
The moral substance of a policy matters when defining the rule of law, according to some “thicker” definitions.
The vagueness of liberalism can be seen as a tactical genius as it exposes how little liberals agree when pinned down.