Walzer is perhaps our foremost pilot on these rocky shoals. In his preface, he writes that this may be his last book. One hopes not.”—James Traub, New York Times “[A] superb testimony to a lifelong struggle for a decent politics.”—Mario Clemens, LSE Review of Books “A stirring defense of liberalism as the political stance best suited to democracy. . . . A spirited, broad-ranging case for liberalism and against its populist and nationalist discontents.”—Kirkus Reviews “Thought-provoking and beautifully written. . . . [Walzer] is one of the towering political theorists of the past century.”—Charles H. T. Lesch, Jewish Review of Books Longlisted for the 2024 Edwards Book Award, sponsored by the Rodel Institute“This little book by one of the most eminent thinkers of our time contains more political wisdom and moral decency than shelves of tomes on liberalism and its discontents. There is no better defender or critic of our ‘seriously imperfect liberal democracy’ than Michael Walzer.”—Michael Kazin, author of What It Took to Win “The Struggle for a Decent Politics is one of those books that we may come to think of as making the case for liberalism at its best. There are many distinguished predecessors in this list, from J. S. Mill’s On Liberty to Lionel Trilling’s Liberal Imagination to Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty . It would not surprise me if one day we thought of Michael Walzer’s book in this company. It deserves to be.”—Steven B. Smith, author of Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes “In this remarkable, deeply personal book, Michael Walzer melds political theory and un-elegiac memoir to trace the perennial struggle between liberalism and its enemies, a struggle that flashes in every facet of his political life—and ours. Walzer’s lifetime of learning and reflection has yielded an undimmed spirit of defiance, not just of brutal injustice but of the cults of true doctrine that injustice inspires. We’ve never needed that spirit more than now.”—Sean Wilentz, author of The Rise of American Democracy “Michael Walzer’s new book is a departure—it’s his most personal work yet—and, also, a continuation of the themes he’s developed so incisively for over four decades. This is a sometimes surprising, always illuminating look at key political concepts you may think you know (but don’t).The Struggle for a Decent Politics reminds us of what is worth fighting for, and of what can be lost.”—Susie Linfield, author of The Lions’ Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky
The Struggle for a Decent Politics reminds us of what is worth fighting for, and of what can be lost.”—Susie Linfield, author of The Lions' Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky
The Rise of American Democracy
What It Took to Win
The Struggle for a Decent Politics is one of those books that we may come to think of as making the case for liberalism at its best. There are many distinguished predecessors in this list from J. S. Mill On Liberty to Lionel Trilling’s Liberal Imagination to Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty . It would not surprise me if one day we thought of Michael Walzer’s book in this company. It deserves to be.”—Steven B. Smith, author of Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes
2022-10-25
One can be all sorts of things politically and be a liberal, according to Walzer’s definition of liberalism as enfolding moral qualities: “We are, or aspire to be, open-minded, generous, and tolerant.” One can be a conservative and embrace them; ditto a libertarian, although, as the author notes, “radical individualism and equality are rarely seen together in these latter days, and I am not sure they fit together in what we used to call the real world.” What one cannot be is totalitarian—or racist, antisemitic, homophobic, etc. Walzer’s definitions tend to be broad and encompassing. Democracy, in one formulation, has as its aim “to create a political order where the greatest number of people, when everyone is counted, actually govern the country.” That is, of course, with all the checks and balances that guard against majoritarian tyranny and that preserve civil society—“where men and women choose their friends, colleagues, comrades, and fellows.” A liberal can also be a socialist, so long as the socialism one espouses is not a true dictatorship of the proletariat and is arrived at democratically. Indeed, Walzer writes after having considered all these permutations, “Liberal nations are…ideologically pluralist; their members are monarchists and republicans, libertarians and socialists, conservatives and radicals.” By the author’s account, America is exceptional only in its self-regard and sanctimony. He notes, wryly, “right-wing French politicians do not accuse French communists of engaging in un-French activities.” America is also exceptional in being a democracy that harbors many enemies of democracy, ranging from religious orthodoxies to political parties that stand opposed to the “decency and truth” that liberalism encompasses and that occasion “the most important political battles of our time.”
A spirited, broad-ranging case for liberalism and against its populist and nationalist discontents.
This little book by one of the most eminent thinkers of our time contains more political wisdom and moral decency than shelves of tomes on liberalism and its discontents. There is no better defender or critic of our ‘seriously imperfect liberal democracy’ than Michael Walzer.”
author of What It Took to Win Michael Kazin
Michael Walzer’s new book is a departure—it’s his most personal work yet—and, also, a continuation of the themes he’s developed so incisively for over four decades. This is a sometimes surprising, always illuminating look at key political concepts you may think you know (but don’t). The Struggle for a Decent Politics reminds us of what is worth fighting for, and of what can be lost.”
author of The Lions’ Den: Zionism and th Susie Linfield
In this remarkable, deeply personal book, Michael Walzer melds political theory and un-elegiac memoir to trace the perennial struggle between liberalism and its enemies, a struggle that flashes in every facet of his political life—and ours. Walzer’s lifetime of learning and reflection has yielded an undimmed spirit of defiance, not just of brutal injustice but of the cults of true doctrine that injustice inspires. We’ve never needed that spirit more than now.”
author of The Rise of American Democracy Sean Wilentz
The Struggle for a Decent Politics is one of those books that we may come to think of as making the case for liberalism at its best. There are many distinguished predecessors in this list, from J. S. Mill’s On Liberty to Lionel Trilling’s Liberal Imagination to Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty . It would not surprise me if one day we thought of Michael Walzer’s book in this company. It deserves to be.”
author of Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extre Steven B. Smith
