Synopses & Reviews
Liberalism in America is under siege. Conservatives now treat it as an epithet and even some progressives spurn it. But according to Paul Starr, liberalism is a sturdy public philosophy, deeply rooted in our traditions, capable of making America and the world more free and secure.Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” remains as good and concise a definition of liberalisms aims today as it was when Thomas Jefferson borrowed the language of John Locke for the Declaration of Independence. What distinguishes liberalism, however, is not just high aspirations but strikingly effective principles for the creation and control of power. From its origins as constitutional liberalism in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the liberal project has provided the basis of the most prosperous and powerful states in the world. Modern democratic liberalism has carried forward the constitutional liberal tradition by favoring a more inclusive and egalitarian conception of liberty and opportunity. It has responded to threats to freedom and the public good from excessive concentrations of private power, while maintaining a dynamic market economy. And it has shown how government can respond to economic crisis and injusticeyet keep arbitrary power in checkby providing stronger guarantees of civil liberties and equal rights. At a time when conservative policies are weakening Americas long-term fiscal, economic, and international strength as well as its liberties, liberalism is more urgent than ever. Freedoms Power shows why liberalism worksand how it can work for America again.
Review
"In this wonderfully thoughtful and thought-provoking book, Paul Starr offers the wisdom and courage needed to return America to its liberal roots and fulfill its liberal ideals. His call for a bolder and more confident liberalism strong enough to reverse the widening inequalities and increasing insecurities of our people, and the go-it-alone bellicosity of our foreign policy must be read and heeded." Robert Reich, Former Secretary of Labor
Review
"Freedom's Power is an impressive achievement that deserves to be pondered by the critics of contemporary American liberalism no less than by its supporters." New York Times
Review
"In discussing the development of classical liberalism and modern democratic liberalism, Starr ranges far and wide over English, French, and American history....He believes that liberalism can regain a national majority by looking at domestic bread-and-butter issues in terms of the national interest rather than the objectives of specific interest groups and by recommitting to a multilateral approach to foreign policy." Library Journal
Review
"An informed and eloquent case for liberalism as the American way." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Liberalism in America has been under siege. Conservatives now treat it as an epithet, and some progressives spurn it as well. But, according to Paul Starr, liberalism is a sturdy public philosophy, deeply rooted in our traditions and capable of making America and the world freer and more secure.
At a time when conservative policies are weakening America's long-term fiscal, economic, and international strength as well as its liberties, the liberal project is more urgent than ever. Freedom's Power shows why liberalism works and how it can work for America again.
To learn more, visit www.freedomspower.com
Synopsis
A Pulitzer Prize-winning author, journalist, and intellectual argues for liberalism as the only viable response to the political and economic challenges of the modern world.
Liberalism in America is in greater peril than at any other time in recent history. Conservatives treat it as an epithet, and even some liberals have confused it with sentimentality and socialism. But Paul Starr, one of America's leading intellectuals, claims that, properly understood, liberalism is a sturdy public philosophy, deeply rooted in our traditions, capable of making America a freer and more secure country.
"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" remains as good a definition of liberalism's aims today as it was when Thomas Jefferson borrowed the language of John Locke for the Declaration of Independence. From its origins as constitutional liberalism in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, to the complexities of today's global political systems liberalism has provided the basis of the most prosperous and powerful states in the world. At a time when conservative policies are weakening America's long-term fiscal, economic, and international strength as well as its liberties, reinstating the power of liberalism is more urgent than ever.
Synopsis
At a time when conservative policies are weakening America, Freedoms Power shows why liberalism works-and how it can work again.
About the Author
Paul Starr is Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University and its Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs. He is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Social Transformation of American Medicine and The Creation of the Media. Starr is the co-founder and editor of The American Prospect. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.