Liberalism and Its Critics: A six-part reading and discussion group In-Person
What does it mean to live in a liberal democracy? How and why did we modify the term ‘democracy’ with ‘liberal’? What critiques are being offered today of both liberalism and democracy, and what sorts of resources does the liberal democratic tradition draw on to respond to these critiques? Join the Rosendale Library this February and March for six discussion sessions that will help us answer these (and more!) questions. We’ll begin our series with brief readings from the history of the liberal democratic tradition, followed by an overview of one of the primary defenses of liberalism today, John Rawls’ book A Theory of Justice. Following that, we’ll investigate some of the important conservative critiques of liberalism, including the book that J. D. Vance claims decisively influenced his thought, Patrick Deneen’s Why Liberalism Failed.
This is a six-part discussion group, Thursday evenings 5:30-6:30, February 27-April 10 (PLEASE NOTE: we will take March 20 off).
- Dates & Times:
- 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Thursday, February 27, 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Thursday, March 6, 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Thursday, March 13, 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Thursday, March 20, 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Thursday, March 27, 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Thursday, April 3, 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM, Thursday, April 10, 2025
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Rosendale Library (Map )
- Audience:
- Adults
Participants will be emailed readings and the readings will be posted on the website.