{"product_id":"on-liberalism-isbn-9780262049771","title":"On Liberalism","description":"\u003cb\u003eA much-needed defense of liberalism—what it is, why it is under threat, and why we need it more than ever—from one of our most important political thinkers today.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMore than at any time since World War II, liberalism is under pressure, even siege. On the right, some have given up on liberalism. They hold it responsible for the collapse of the family and traditional values, rampant criminality, disrespect for authority, and widespread immorality. On the left, some are turning their backs on liberalism. They think that it lacks the resources to handle the problems posed by entrenched inequalities, racism, sexism, corporate power, and environmental degradation. But those opposed to liberalism do not depict it accurately; they offer a caricature, and they neglect its history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eOn Liberalism\u003c\/i\u003e, former advisor to Presidents Obama and Biden and \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e–bestselling author Cass Sunstein offers a timely and clear understanding of liberalism—of its core commitments, of its breadth, of its internal debates, of its evolving character, of its promise—and why we need it more than ever. He also shows how and why liberalism has been, and should be, appealing to both the left and the right.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book begins with a manifesto on behalf of liberalism, and then goes on to explore the central idea of “experiments of living,” to which a liberal constitutional order gives pride of place. From there, it discusses John Stuart Mill and Friedrich Hayek, defining liberal thinkers; the rule of law as liberals understand it; freedom of speech (including the place of lies and falsehoods within that freedom); free markets, economic liberty, and regulation; Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights, with its social and economic guarantees; and finally, the concept of opportunity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNever more urgently needed, \u003ci\u003eOn Liberalism\u003c\/i\u003e moves the conversation well beyond the reductive and inflammatory political sound bites of our moment and advances a compelling argument on behalf of liberalism as the foundation of freedom and self-government.Preface\u003cbr\u003e1 On Being a Liberal\u003cbr\u003e2 Experiments of Living\u003cbr\u003e3 Hayek and Mill\u003cbr\u003e4 The Rule of Law\u003cbr\u003e5 Freedom of Speech\u003cbr\u003e6 Free Markets and Their Limits\u003cbr\u003e7 The Second Bill of Rights\u003cbr\u003e8 Opportunity\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue: Fire and Hope\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eEndnotes\u003cbr\u003eIndex\"A stirring intellectual defense of liberalism from its critics across the political spectrum.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePolitico\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sunstein provides a full-throated defense of liberalism, which he defines broadly as the Enlightenment commitments to human freedom, pluralism, fairness, representative government, and the rule of law... In the ongoing ideological debates between liberalism and its critics, Sunstein masterfully stakes out and defends the tradition’s high ground, a vision of liberal society equipped with a living constitution that protects the rights and dignity of individuals and the free play of ideas.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeign Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sunstein has written a new book, called \u003ci\u003eOn Liberalism,\u003c\/i\u003e which is a defense of the idea of liberalism at a time when Sunstein believes it is under threat from both the right and the left. The book barely mentions Donald Trump or contemporary politics, however, and instead provides a defense of a general liberal belief system, which Sunstein breaks down into eighty-five features. Sunstein’s conception of liberalism is quite capacious; it includes New Deal liberals and so-called classical liberals, including Friedrich von Hayek and Robert Nozick, as well as politicians such as Ronald Reagan.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The words of Sunstein—a specialist in constitutional law, administrative law, and behavioural economics who is one of the most widely cited legal scholars and advised Presidents Obama and Biden—will be of high interest to readers across the political spectrum...This book is highly recommended for readers to better understand the philosophical ideals that compete in the United States.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Cass Sunstein has written what may be the most lucid and unembarrassed defense of liberalism in recent memory. \u003ci\u003eOn Liberalism\u003c\/i\u003e is at once a philosophical meditation, a political testament, and a quiet act of intellectual recovery. In an age when the word ‘liberal’ is either wielded as an accusation or whispered with apology, Sunstein offers something rare: a confident, humane, and historically informed affirmation that liberalism remains the best moral and political framework we have.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“If you want to know why liberalism cannot die, read this book. In his spirited and timely reaction to efforts to tear down liberal institutions and discredit liberal principles, Sunstein brilliantly illuminates why liberalism has dominated modern political thought and why its core commitments to pluralism, fairness, innovation, and self-correction are too politically, economically, and culturally fertile to succumb for long to the arrogance, aggression, and false certainties of its enemies.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Stephen Holmes, Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law, New York University\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Cass Sunstein provides an informed, enlightening, and passionate demonstration that even though it is a big tent, liberalism can still provide us with a fighting faith. This is a faith to cling to through these unconscionable days.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Philip Pettit, L. S. Rockefeller University Professor of Human Values, Princeton University; author, \u003ci\u003eThe State\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eJust Freedom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Liberals don’t have to agree about everything to remain neighbors, Cass Sunstein shows in his excellent mapping exercise. As a crisis darkens the territory, however, Sunstein gives most love to John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor, who light the way with a liberalism promoting experiments, in combination with economic fairness.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History, Yale University, author, \u003ci\u003eLiberalism Against Itself\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Fiery, passionate, and hopeful, Cass Sunstein's \u003ci\u003eOn Liberalism\u003c\/i\u003e offers not a tepid defense, but an inspiring vision of liberalism for our era. He offers the best brief account I know of the liberal idea of the rule of law, and he makes a compelling case for New Deal economic and social rights as essential underpinnings of real freedom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Martha C. Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago; author, \u003ci\u003eJustice for Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“On Liberalism\u003c\/i\u003e is a splendid little book. From the rousing manifesto that constitutes its opening chapter to the final discussion of the idea of opportunity, it is clear, balanced, and persuasive.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Alan Ryan, Emeritus Professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford; author, \u003ci\u003eThe Philosophy of John Stuart Mill\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Making of Modern Liberalism\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The word ‘liberalism,’ like the word ‘conservatism,’ is used by different people today to mean different—often incompatible—things. The result is massive confusion that has for decades needed clearing up. Cass Sunstein has done the job. His new book is a blessing not only to those who embrace liberalism, but also to those who are skeptical of it. He advances a sane and humane liberalism, one in which even critics, if they are at all fair-minded, will find more than a little to admire.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University\u003c\/b\u003eCass R. Sunstein is Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University, where he is the cofounder and codirector of the Initiative on Artificial Intelligence and the Law. Former Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, he is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Cost-Benefit Revolution\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHow Change Happens\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eToo Much Information\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSludge\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eClimate Justice\u003c\/i\u003e (all published by the MIT Press), \u003ci\u003eNudge\u003c\/i\u003e (with Richard H. Thaler), and other books.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233448308965,"sku":"NP9780262049771","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262049771.jpg?v=1767734093","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/on-liberalism-isbn-9780262049771","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}