Against Post-Liberalism - by Paul Kelly

Book Synopsis

Liberal politics is in crisis and it is a crisis of its own making - so say the post-liberals whose new ideology of family, faith and flag is shaping debates about the future of the Left. But are they right? Does post-liberalism offer credible answers to the problems that characterise our increasingly fragmented and unequal world?

In this bold analysis, political theorist Paul Kelly responds with a resounding no. He makes a powerful case against post-liberalism and exposes the flaws and contradictions of the dominant strands of post-liberal thinking. Drawing on the ideas of key post-liberal thinkers such as John Gray, Alasdair MacIntyre, Maurice Glasman, Matthew Goodwin, Danny Kruger, J.D. Vance, Patrick Deneen and Adrian Vermuele, he sheds light on some of the darker sources behind the movement, arguing that post-liberalism fails to take seriously the real challenges of late modernity. It is not feasible in its ambitions to return to a form of capitalism superseded by technological globalisation, and in its Trump/Vance US version it is an unattractive assault on equality, social mobility, university education and changes in social roles and expectations.

Against Post-Liberalism is both a critique of post-liberal ideas and a passionate defence of liberalism. It is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary challenges to liberalism and humane values.

Review Quotes

"Far from representing a viable future for the left, Kelly expertly exposes the various ways in which the post-liberal turn to 'family, faith and flag' either collapses into authoritarianism or cannot address the most pressing problems facing western liberal democratic societies today. Against Postliberalism is vital reading for anyone interested in where the left goes from here."
Matt Sleat, University of Sheffield

"Paul Kelly challenges a current of thought that's gaining adherents and attention along with contemporary electoral success on the right. Calmly and fairly, Kelly anatomizes the new 'post-liberalism' and explains how it fails - and why an egalitarian and pluralist liberalism not only survives the assault but could even thrive in our anxious moment of transatlantic politics."
Samuel Moyn, author of Liberalism Against Itself

"A most timely book that needed to be written and demands to be read. In this thoughtful, nuanced critical engagemenet with emerging debates around post-liberalism, Paul Kelly has provided us with an accessible yet thorough study of soe of the ideas of upending modern politics. One of the most important political books of the year."
Jon Cruddas, former Labour MP for Dagenham, author of The Dignity of Labour and A Century of Labour

About the Author

Paul Kelly is Professor of Political Theory and former Pro-Director at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).