1st Edition

The Relationship between Liberalism and Conservatism Parasitic, Competitive or Symbiotic?

By Ann Bousfield Copyright 1999
    192 Pages
    by Routledge

    192 Pages
    by Routledge

    First published in 1999, this volume is a radical text which contributes to the current debate over the future of liberal theory as it offers an explicit critique of some of the leading players in that debate - namely William Galston, Jeffrey Reiman and Richard Rorty. It also offers an implicit critique of the general de-ontological liberal position.

    1. Introduction. 2. Mill, Neutrality and Inconsistency. 3. Hayek’s Libertarian Neutrality. 4. Challenges to Neutrality I: Liberalism with a Moral Foundation. 5. Challenges to Neutrality II: Ethical Liberalism and Contemporary Debates. 6. Conclusion.

    Biography

    Ann Bousfield

    ’Bousfield offers a compelling account of the difficulties liberalism has in providing a comprehensive or foundational defence of its own values. At the same time she provides a helpful reminder of the sceptical, pragmatic and anti-rationalist conservatism represented by Oakeshott which is so often neglected by attending only to the New Right libertarianism conventionally contraposed to liberalism.’ David Archard, Reader, Moral Philosophy, University of St. Andrews