The Making of Modern Liberalism

by Alan Ryan

The Making of Modern Liberalism is a deep and wide-ranging exploration of the origins and nature of liberalism from the Enlightenment through its triumphs and setbacks in the twentieth century and beyond. The book is the fruit of the more than four decades during which Alan Ryan, one of the world's leading political thinkers, has reflected on the past of the liberal tradition--and worried about its future.

Tracing the emergence of liberalism as articulated by some of its greatest proponents, including Locke, Tocqueville, Mill, Dewey, Russell, Popper, Berlin, and Rawls, the book explores key themes such as the meaning and nature of freedom, individual rights, and tolerance. It also examines how property rights fit within liberal thinking, how work and freedom are connected, and how far liberal freedoms are compatible with a socialized economy.

This is essential reading for anyone interested in political theory or the history of liberalism.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, History, Essays, Nonfiction, Anthologies, Government

681 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Alan James Ryan.

Reviews

[Bernard English · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the back cover it is designated as political theory and philosophy but many of the earlier essays can also be read as intellectual history. The essays on Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, de Tocqueville, Bentham, Kant, Hegel and especially on John Stuart Mill are helpful in placing these figures historically. More recent thinkers such as Dewey, Russell, Popper and Rawls are of course also included. The last few essays on socialism were, I thought, somewhat fanciful and at such a pure conceptual level that they seemed hard to connect with what we know about 20th century socialism and it's failures. Nonetheless, even his highly speculative ideas are worth pondering.

[Daniel Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overview of much of the history and ideas of liberalism. From Thomas Hobbes until Marx, he looks over the various ideas that have shaped liberalism. The book is long and realistically unless you are a good reader or are studying liberalism as part of your degree, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. There are more condensed ideas out there.

[G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but it is like reading a text book. If you enjoy reading essays, this book is like a collection of essays and for you.