In his book “Why Liberalism Failed” Patrick Deneen deals with all varieties of Liberalism. They are the fruit of a false image of man – an assertion which, however, proves to be questionable on closer inspection.
Today, social debates are ignited from the political margins. When democracy is in crisis and social cohesion is crumbling, it is time for intellectuals to focus on the essentials. What is needed is an anti-totalitarian self-enlightenment from the political center.
For the guardians of political correctness, prejudicial suspicion is not bad in itself, so long as it is directed against the right groups. Moreover, the current hysteria about racism obscures the real problems—creating an obstacle for those who actually want to help.
For years Bolivia was considered a successful example of the “Socialism of the 21st century”. An apparently booming economy blinded economists and politicians and obscured the view of a regime that was in reality authoritarian and corrupt.
Pope Francis never called for a “universal basic income” as a new socio-political model. He asked for financial assistance for those on the margins who have been harmed by the quarantine. Even so, the idea of a “basic income” is only feasible, if at all, in a country with strong protection of property rights and a market economy.
Statism is on the rise, despite the fact that western nations were ill-prepared for the Coronavirus pandemic. Old leftist demands are now given even more credence than usual. How can classical liberals and capitalists counter this statist impulse?
We could be facing the biggest economic crisis of all time. Will politicians be able to learn the lessons from this and use the crisis as an opportunity for a new beginning in economic and public health policy?
