Why Are So Many Western Intellectuals Abandoning Liberalism and What Can We Do About It?

Artikel

This article analyzes some of the reasons why so many Western intellectuals have seemed ready to abandon the principles of liberalism lately in search for alternative solutions. I begin by examining the fascination exercised by Viktor Orbán among conservatives in the US who emerged as staunch critics of liberalism. Next, I show that the doom industry has a long history and discuss the conceptual fluidity of liberalism and its implications for students of liberalism. I argue that by acknowledging the polysemantic nature of liberalism we can better answer its critics. I draw on the lessons of German Ordoliberals to show that liberalism contains surprising resources neglected by its critics. The article concludes with a call to moderate liberalism inspired by Karl Popper's defense of the open society.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Journal: Journal of Contextual Economics – Schmollers Jahrbuch ; ISSN: 2568-762X ; Volume: 142 ; Year: 2022 ; Issue: 1 ; Pages: 1-20

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Economic Impacts of Globalization: Economic Development ; Capitalist Systems: General ; Capitalist Systems: Political Economy
• Subject: Karl Popper ; Mont Pelerin Society ; Liberalism ; Death of Liberalism ; Conservatism ; Open Society ; Bourgeois Virtues ; Viktor Orbán ; Wilhelm Röpke

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Craiutu, Aurelian
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Duncker & Humblot
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2022

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.3790/schm.142.1.1
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET