Liberalism: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #434

by Michael Freeden

Liberalism is one of the most central and pervasive political theories and ideologies, yet it is subject to different interpretations as well as misappropriations. Its history carries a crucial heritage of civilized thinking, of political practice, and of philosophical-ethical creativity.

This Very Short Introduction unpacks the concept of liberalism and its various interpretations through three diverse approaches. Looking at its historical and theoretical development, analysing the liberal ideology, and understanding liberalism as a series of ethical and philosophical principles, this is a thorough exploration of the concept and practice of liberalism.

ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Economics, Ebooks, Law

143 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2015

About the author

Michael Freeden is a professor of Political Ideology in the University of Nottingham's Politics and International Relations department. He is also the founding editor of the Journal of Political Ideologies. He was previously an academic at the University of Oxford.

Reviews

[Turbulent_Architect · Rating 3 out of 5]

The term "liberalism" has been used to refer to so many different political currents that it's often hard to tell what people intend by it. Freeden proposes to understand these currents as belonging to an ideology composed of seven key ideals: liberty, rationality, individuality, progress, sociability, the general interest, and limited and accountable power. He then illustrates how these ideals can conflict and give rise to incompatible views about the role of government and about the just organization of society. Freeden does a good job with the more empirical side of things. He’s at his best when highlighting the diversity of different real-world currents that get lumped together as liberalism. At the same time, though, really struggles with the philosophy. A lot of his objections to liberal political philosophers like Berlin, Rawls, and Dworkin are laughably poor. It’s decent, but there are probably better introductions out there.

[Martin Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better Very Short Introduction books I've read. Although it explained all the basic points of liberalism, it also took a rare critical stance towards its subject matter. To my surprise, it dealt more with ideology than philosophical history or policy.

Freeden has an interesting take on liberalism, rooted in his studies in ideologies. He points to that fact that most people would agree the ideology of liberalism is vaguely defined. Now, Freeden does hold that liberalism has an ideological core. However, he proposes that the liberal movement historically arose through several distinct ideological "layers". Arising independently of one another, these layers often exist in tension with others. For example, you have the layer of free market liberalism, the layer of social liberalism, etc. Different liberalisms therefore co-exist as individuals and parties prioritise certain layers over others.

There were some come downs too. Freeden's coverage of the "great" liberal thinkers was a little disappointing. It's pretty limited and Anglocentric. On the other hand, his discription of "philosophical liberalism" (espoused by the likes of Rawls and Dworkin) was very interesting, though markedly confrontational for an introduction like this. For Freeden, philosophical attempts to justify an ideology inevitably fall down.

[Liberis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Εξαιρετικό ανάγνωσμα. Δεν ξέρω αν οφείλεται στην απολαυστική μετάφραση και στην εξαίρετη επιμέλεια των κκ. Μαρίας Παπαηλιάδη και Φιλήμονα Παιονίδη αντίστοιχα ή αν οφείλεται στο γεγονός ότι ο M. Freede έφερε σε πέρας ένα πολύ δύσκολο έργο, να παρουσιάσει μια ιδεολογία σχεδόν χαοτική, πολύπλοκη και πολυπρόσωπη με τρόπο εξαιρετικά εύληπτο για τον απλό αναγνώστη. Οπαδός του κοινωνικού φιλελευθερισμού ο ίδιος, διαπερνά με κριτική ματιά, με τα συν και με τα πλην, όλες τις μορφές φιλελευθερισμού και ορισμένους θεμελιώδεις στοχαστές. Θα ήθελα να συνέχιζε αυτή η σειρά και με ένα αντίστοιχο βιβλίο για κομμουνισμό, σοσιαλισμό και φασισμό, τις τέσσερις δηλαδή ιδεολογίες που έχουν διαμορφώσει τον κόσμο μας σήμερα.

[Bojan Tunguz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this is a decent introduction to "Liberalism," or at least to the general idea of what goes by that nomenclature these. Like most overarching political ideologies, Liberalism can mean many different things depending on who the target audience is. The author of this short introduction tries to come up with a very layered and ad-hoc description of liberalism, but comes across as very strained and designed to purposefully justify including and excluding particular movements from the category. Overall, the book feels more self-serving and ideological, thana cool and objective assessment of a political category. In particular, I wish it had taken into the account recent research by Jonathan Haidt on moral clusterings and the way they pertain to different political affinities.

[jzthompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, a lot of interesting stuff here but a very dense theoretical approach - all 'the morphological approach to third layer liberalism' this and 'by reifing this epistemological concept' that - seemed very abstract. Also the book's explicit advocacy for left-liberalism as real, authentic liberalism against all other pretenders could have been better argued... some of the shots at neoliberalism etc felt a bit like the harried supply teacher over-egging the sarcasm to try and control a class. Other VSIs have covered the same ground more persuasively.

[Taylor Hughson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough introduction, I guess. The main goal it has is to say over and over and over again that liberalism is not a unitary object but instead a shifting coalition of ideas, which, like, yeah, that's true.

[Sinilin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vähän liiankin tiivus opus liberalismin monimuotoisuudesta, sillä tuntuu että paljon jää käsittelemättä ja moni asia kaipaa lisää kontekstia kokonaisvaltaisen ymmärryksen saavuttamiseksi. Nyt jää monelta osin pintaraapaisuksi. Kirja on kuitenkin hyvä lähtökohta jonka pohjalta etsiä lisää luettavaa.

Yksi tähti putosi käännöksen laadun vuoksi. En tykkää kääntäjän tavasta kirjoittaa termit suoraan englannista sen sijaan että käytettäisiin suomenkielisiä vastineita, ne särähtivät korvaan ikävästi.

[Gregory Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic review of the ideological, historical, political, and philosophical histories of Liberalism.

[R2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiehtova, joskin haastava luettava. Lukukokemus täytti odotukset, vaikka aito sisäistäminen vaatisi uuden lukukerran, muistiinpanoja ja virkeämmän mielen, kuin nukkumaan mennessä.

[Per Kraulis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag. There is too much discussion on how to analyze liberalism. The notions of layers of liberalism (a chronological approach?) would have been more useful if the layers had been given names rather than just numbers (one repeats to oneself "layer 4 liberalism, what was that now again...") and mixing this with "conceptual morphology" does not make it easy for the reader. All in all, there is too much discussion around liberal thinking, and too little describing it.

That said, there are interesting observations in this book, so it was worth reading. My appreciation of Hobhouse and Hobson was affected positively. The emphasis on the complexity of liberalism was also a positive aspect, since there is too much certainty today (on all sides) on what it is supposed to mean. The analysis of the limitations and assumptions of the so-called philosophical liberalism of John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin was also interesting.

[BigTentBookClub · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the Very Short Intro series goes, I found Freeden went above and beyond. Not only is this an exceptionally clear and informative read, but the structure and metaphors used in the book were very useful in getting to grips with the ideology of liberalism as a whole and how it can be broken up and explained to a lay reader. For example, Freeden’s method of explaining liberalism in this book is to “offer a map on which to place, locate, and trace the features of different liberalisms, both shared and distinct.” (p.11) Later Freeden discusses the "Five Layers of Liberalism", and describes that they interact as 5 sheets of holey, and greasy, translucent paper from which earlier liberalisms can be read through others. (p.39) Freeden offers a brilliant and wide-ranging breakdown of the topic which, for the difficulty of the subject matter, is pulled off brilliantly in this introductory text.

You can get my full notes and chapter by chapter bullet-point breakdown by email bigtentbookclub@gmail.com.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book challenging. I am not readily familiar with much of the terminology that Michael Freedman uses. I often had to look up some words like "deconstestation," which is a word that Freeden seems to created on his own. It seems to be the act of looking at a political concept in relation to other concepts that are part of the context from which they arrive.
I did benefit from reading this in that I learned why liberalism seems at times to embody different beliefs and actions, such as why the "Freedom Caucus" seems to be advocating actions that are patently opposed to the liberalism I believe in, I also finally understand the term "neo-liberalism," which Freeden sees as a pseudo-liberal concept in that it applies liberty entirely in a economic sense of a completely "free market."
I think someone who has a love of understanding political and philosophical concepts would benefit from reading this book; however, though it is short, it is densely packed. Mortimer J Adler did a better job of explaining ideas like liberty to me. This has deepened my knowledge, though.

[Medhat ullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liberalism is a political ideology that champions individual liberty, democracy, equality, and limited government, with a strong emphasis on free markets and human rights. It advocates for a society where individuals can pursue their own goals while ensuring the protection of basic freedoms and equal treatment under the law.
"The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all states of created beings, wherever there is no law, there is no freedom." - john locke
"The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way."
"A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free." - john stuart mill
"The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design."
"The state has no business in the economic affairs of individuals except to protect them against fraud and violence." -freidrich hayek

[Juneko Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this little book, but I was a bit disappointed with the all-to-brief section on neoliberalism, particularly after reading A Very Short Introduction to Neoliberalism by Manfred Steger. While admitting that there are variations amongst those who champion neoliberalism, the author pretty much rejects the notion that neoliberalism qualifies as "liberal." I think he's on to something, but I also think that it's up for debate. Neoliberal economic policies have been pursued and supported by American governments headed by both conservatives and liberals. It seems that the primary difference is to what extent liberal domestic policies are pursued to help mitigate or ameliorate some of the worst aspects of neoliberal economic policies through social policy. I would've liked to see a little bit more space devoted to unpacking this a bit more. Other than that, an interesting read from which I learned of some British political thinkers with whom I had been unacquainted.

[Thanyanuch Tantikul · Rating 4 out of 5]

เสรีนิยมเป็นอุดมการณ์หรือชุดความคิดที่เหมือนจะเข้าใจง่าย แต่เอาเข้าจริงกลับมีความหลากหลายและขัดแย้งกันตามพัฒนาการของมัน ซึ่งความหลากหลายของตัวอุดมการณ์นี่เองที่ทำให้คำว่าเสรีนิยมคลุมเครือจนทำให้เกิดความสับสนได้ง่ายๆ แต่หนังสือเล่มนี้ช่วยจัดระเบียบความหลากหลายของอุดมการณ์นี้ ผ่านการให้กรอบคิดว่าด้วยคุณค่าอันเป็นแกนกลางที่เสรีนิยมไม่ว่าเฉดไหนจะต้องมี ความแตกต่างของแต่ละเฉด (ในหนังสือให้ภาพว่าเป็นช่วงชั้นต่างๆ ของเสรีนิยม) อยู่ที่ลำดับความสำคัญและน้ำหนักของคุณค่าต่างๆ เหล่านั้น กรอบความคิดนี้เองที่ช่วยปัดเป่าความสับสนคลุมเครือไปได้มาก แต่หนังสือก็แอบอ่านยากด้วยศัพท์แสงทางวิชาการ สำนวนการแปลนั้นมีลีลาฉวัดเฉวียน ซึ่งมีความไพเราะในเชิงวรรณศิลป์แต่ก็ทำให้อ่านยากขึ้นนิดๆ ด้วยศัพท์แสงที่สวยงามแต่พบยากและเข้าใจยากหากไม่ใช่คออ่านหนังสือวิชาการอยู่แล้ว

[M C · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging and informative survey of liberalism today and throughout history, presenting characteristic concepts and ideas.

A must read for anyone influenced by liberal ideas and sentiments and who wants to learn more about liberalism. This book gave me some new perspectives and ideas that I did not have before, and which I was surprised to learn are liberal ideas. I would give five stars except for the fact that I reserve that rating for masterpieces. I would give 4.5 stars if Goodreads allowed for that. A great read.

[Patricia Roberts-Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a book that will give a single definition of liberalism, this isn't the book for you. If you want one that cogently explains the various kinds of liberalism, and the (many) anti-liberal ideologies that try to claim to be "liberal," then this is exactly the right book. The short descriptions of major liberal theorists were especially useful.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the term is ubiquitous today, Michael Freeden provides a useful overview of the various tenets of liberalism and its intellectual history. Yet, the central argument of the book - that liberalism is an essentially contested concept - is too often repeated. The point feels laboured towards the end of the book with other more interesting questions regarding liberalism neglected or even wholly ignored.

[Caomhghain · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lower rating perhaps comes from the topic. In the end liberalism is so nebulous or amorphous that it keeps slipping out of the control of the author. That said Freeden gives an excellent presentation of a topic even though it changes through time and geography incessantly.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very abstract. An astute description of the history of liberalism throughout the world.
Freeden described European liberalism in that liberalism is attuned to the right in France and Scandinavia, where it is to the left in Britain.

[Susan Scribner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful overview for a non-academic Baby Boomer like me who previously equated liberalism with the mid-20th century US Democratic platform. Also helped clear up the mystery of why neoliberalism can claim to be part of the liberal tradition.

[Vítor Hugo Menino · Rating 3 out of 5]

A walkthrough on what liberalism is and was. Explores it's different facets and it's misrepresentations in today's world. Lays down the importance of liberalism in today's society and politics.

[Cole Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gives a great introduction to liberalism and it’s evolution. I really appreciate how it talks about the various forms of liberalism and their respective roots.

[Mehdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that covers everything about liberalism. It explains the history and main ideas of liberalism in a way that's easy to understand.

[A. B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview.

[Inquisitive Voyager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hyvä katsaus liberalismin tausta-ajatuksiin ja eri ilmentymiin sekä sen vaiheisiin ja siihen, mikä varsinaisesti kuuluu liberaaliin perintöön ja mikä ei. Liberalismi näyttäytyy pikemminkin käsitesukuna, jossa osa ei ole missään tekemisissä toistensa kanssa kuin tiivinä ystäväporukkana. Suosittelen, jos kaipaa analyyttistä käsittelyä liberalismin kerrosajattelusta, sen historiasta sekä sen ydinajatusten painotusten eroista. Lyhyehkö, mutta tiivis ja ytimekäs paketti. 4/5

[John Kaufmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short summary of some of the historical thought and main themes of liberalism. Liberalism isn't a rigid ideology like communism or fascism. Rather, it is guided by variations on seven main themes, which the author refers to as "layers." This book is for someone with a bent for political philosophy - it is not about modern politics in any direct sense.

Liberalism initially began as a reaction against religious and secular authority, and a demand for fewer constraints. Gradually it morphed into what it was for, which was more individual freedoms and, eventually, more freedom of exchange (though still subject to state power). It was fundamentally an enlightenment project, grounded in rationality, which laid the groundwork for conceptions of rights and progress. Later, as historical conditions changed, individual rights to certain freedoms expanded to ensure that people had reasonable opportunity to act on those rights; the philosophical foundation was that humans are social beings, not stand-alone atomatons. From this grew a concern for the general interest, human rights, and some redistribution of some wealth to ensure access to opportunity.

Thus there is no one "liberalism." The emphasis one puts on each of these layers accounts for the differences between political philosophies - ranging from libertarianism and conservatism to liberal democrats to social democrats to welfare-statists.

[Javier Abullarade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good description of liberal strands

I did liked it, because it let me understand the different types of liberalism in existence, and those expressions that call themselves liberalism, but fall short of it. Though because it's a short book, I found it laking in depth about non-welfare state liberalisms.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most comprehensive yet lucid throughout..

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sufficent and concise summary of Liberalism, I've yet to find an overview quite as comprehensive.