Freedom for All: What a Liberal Society Could Be

by Alex Zakaras

Overview

A bold vision of liberal society designed to meet the crises of our time
 
Liberalism is on the defensive almost everywhere. In the past decade, right-wing politicians and intellectuals have staged successful assaults on the most important liberal institutions, including democratic constitutions, independent judiciaries, the free media, and the rule of law. Liberalism’s defenders have struggled to find an adequate response. Many have tried to present liberalism as a humane and reasonable alternative to the chaos and cruelty of the new political right. Political theorist Alex Zakaras argues that this moderate posture is inadequate in our present moment. In the face of rising authoritarianism, rampant inequality, and climate catastrophe, liberals must be willing to demand deep change. Moreover, to compete successfully against charismatic leaders promising dramatic solutions, liberals have to offer a clear and ambitious set of principles and a compelling vision of the future.
 
Zakaras defends a radical version of liberalism, which is designed to attack the massive inequalities in power, wealth, and status that are pulling the United States apart. At its best, liberalism is an emancipatory political project designed to secure freedom for all. Throughout this book, Zakaras explores what it would mean to implement this project in America today, and what it would demand of its citizens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300286212
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	10/28/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Alex Zakaras is professor of political science at the University of Vermont. He is the author of The Roots of American Individualism and Individuality and Mass Democracy and is coeditor of J. S. Mill’s Political Thought. He lives in Burlington, VT.

Editorial Reviews

At a time when liberalism is attacked from all sides, Freedom for All provides a powerful and necessary defense. Zakaras’s prose is as beautiful as his argument is rigorous, offering a ‘radical liberalism’ that recasts freedom as a tangible, democratic project. An indispensable book for our moment.”—Eric Beerbohm, author of In Our Name: The Ethics of Democracy

“Too often, those who seek a radical stance against economic exploitation and other injustices view liberalism as their enemy. But as Alex Zakaras demonstrates in this masterful and original work of political theory, liberalism, when fully understood, is itself a radical doctrine committed to challenging those fundamental injustices, including racial inequality and economic oppression. This compelling defense of liberalism is a necessary corrective, offering a hopeful vision for the future.”—Corey Brettschneider, Brown University, author of The Presidents and the People

“In this bold and exciting book, Alex Zakaras defends a liberalism that overcomes elitism and inequality on a hot planet, in the name of a dynamic and innovative society of free citizens. Freedom for All is the bracing and stirring manifesto we need against those who blame liberalism for all of our ills, as well as those who respond by concealing its radicalism. Brilliant.”—Samuel Moyn, author of Liberalism against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times

“Alex Zakaras has written a powerful, clear, and lively argument that the tradition of radical liberalism is our best intellectual and political resource in this time of crisis. Where critics often see liberalism as a complacent, difference-splitting philosophy or a mask for power, Zakaras shows us a living tradition that is both visionary and practical.”—Jedediah Purdy, author of Two Cheers for Politics and After Nature

From the Publisher