The Trapped Liberal

• In Event: Aesthetics, Storytelling, and Reason, and Justice in Contemporary Political Thought

Abstract

In every era there arises a set of radical events that calls to the forefront the fragility of our western liberal democracy. Outside observers or critics across the left and right of the political spectrum tell a similar story that our failings indicate a late stage decline in a decadent society. Rather than construct an entire theoretical framework such as John Rawls to defend liberalism, it may prove equally productive to investigate the liberal himself – to analyze the perspective of an individual who struggles to defend a core set of beliefs and from where they spring. This research began with Isaiah Berlin who recognized a repeated truth in Ivan Turgenev's writing. As Aristophanes of Athens or Dickens of Victorian England, Turgenev’s life and literary skills painted a vibrant picture of Russia. The state embodied corruption, decadent decay, and inequality. But moderate individuals begging for gradualism were dismissed by those who knew that the old world must be destroyed. No common ground would be tolerated. Berlin outlined Turgenev’s hopes of incremental reform as the “liberal predicament.” Berlin latched onto a specific problem in western democracies; a liberal – a morally sensitive and intellectually honest individual – becomes paralyzed at the worst moment when the forces of acute polarization and extremism present themselves. Worse, anyone who suggests that the truth may be complex becomes an enemy. The goal is to continue Berlin’s discussion and definitions of liberalism in a contemporary setting and ultimately to uncover an escape to the dilemma of a trapped liberal.

Author

• Samuel Sprunk, Nicholls State University