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Single Idea 23138

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / g. Liberalism critique ]

Full Idea

Most left-wing critiques of liberalism now turn more often on its cultural power and its cultural illusions.

Gist of Idea

Modern left-wingers criticise liberalism's control of culture

Source

Adam Gopnik (A Thousand Small Sanities [2019], 3)

Book Ref

Gopnik,Adam: 'A Thousand Small Sanities' [riverrun 2019], p.161


A Reaction

As opposed to older Marxists critiques of the exploitation of workers. This is certainly fertile ground for interesting studies of our culture. It is very hard to grasp the influence had by the endless stories we expose ourselves to.

Related Idea

Idea 23135 Classic Marxists see liberalism as the ideology of the bourgeoisie [Gopnik]


The 24 ideas with the same theme [difficulties for liberal theory]:

The human race matters, and individuals have little importance [Hegel]
Liberals want the right to be separate, rather than for people to be united [Marx]
The creation of institutions needs a determination which is necessarily anti-liberal [Nietzsche]
Liberalism's weakness is its powerful rigid bureaucracy [Gramsci]
Rawls's account of justice relies on conventional fairness, avoiding all moral controversy [Gray on Rawls]
My Anarchy, State and Utopia neglected our formal social ties and concerns [Nozick on Nozick]
Liberals debate how conservative or radical to be, but don't question their basics [MacIntyre]
Autonomy favours present opinions over future ones, and says nothing about the interests of potential people [Glover]
If a whole community did not mind death, respect for autonomy suggests that you could kill them all [Glover]
Marxists say liberalism is unjust, because it allows exploitation in the sale of labour [Kymlicka]
Ecologism is often non-liberal, by claiming to know other people's best interests [Dobson]
Can individualist theories justify an obligation to fight in a war? [Avineri/De-Shalit]
Liberal justice ignores desert, which is the essence of justice [Kekes]
Liberal distribution cares more about recipients than donors [Kekes]
Why do liberals not see a much wider range of values as basic? [Kekes]
Liberals ignore contingency, and think people are good and equal, and institutions cause evil [Kekes]
Liberalism may fail because it neglects the shared nature of what we pursue and protect [Haldane]
Liberals mistakenly think individuals choose their values, without reference to the community [Swift]
Liberalism should not make assumptions such as the value of choosing your own life plan [Shorten]
Right-wingers attack liberal faith in reason, left-wingers attack its faith in reform [Gopnik]
Cosmopolitan liberals lack national loyalty, and welcome excessive immigration [Gopnik]
Modern left-wingers criticise liberalism's control of culture [Gopnik]
Liberalism's attempt to be neutral and colour-blind erases cultural identities [Gopnik]
Laissez-faire liberalism failed to give people the protections and freedoms needed for a good life [Dunt]