Description: The conflict within liberal democracy is now between the pursuit of selfish interest and a "people" increasingly fractured by economic and cultural differences. Dallmayr sets out to rescue democracy as a shared public and post-liberal regime. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary political, religious, and secular thought, Dallmayr charts a possible path to a liberal socialism that is devoid of egalitarian imperatives and a private sphere free from acquisitiveness.
Review Quotes: "This book prompts the reader to grapple with the political, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of an age of rising individualism and autocracy that places public life and peace in jeopardy. Each chapter presents a concise commentary that combines critical analysis and reflective synthesis. Dallmayr eclectically mines the resources of continental thought to illuminate contemporary challenges and dangers, while suggestively integrating non-Western thinkers." -- Leslie Paul Thiele, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Florida
"Much of the world is caught between a debased liberalism and an atavistic populism. This brilliant book warns about their fusion and a slide into a new form of totalitarian void filled by selfishness and despair. The alternative it charts is a public philosophy anchored in our relational nature and practices of reciprocity-an invitation to a life of 'learning to be human'. This is essential reading for all who care about a politics of hope." -- Adrian Pabst, Reader in Politics, University of Kent"This book exhibits Fred Dallmayr's many strengths-a trans-temporal and trans-cultural breadth of textual knowledge, a critical attunement to the ills of our era that is at the same time very compassionate, Â a clear but not despairing recognition of the shortcomings of currently dominant social and political theory-in a wide-ranging but cohesive collection of essays. It radiates a quiet, self-assured, seasoned wisdom that is both intrinsically valuable and highly useful for rethinking our crisis-ridden institutions and the related habits of thought, notably traditional liberalism, that are becoming increasingly incapable of supporting them" -- William McBride, Arthur G. Hansen Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Purdue University"Dallmayr's scholarly contributions to political theory over the last twenty years have brought together literature, religion, theology, philosophy, political science, and international relations within the ambit of an utterly original and magnificently multicultural dialogue regarding the fate of democracy in the era of neo-liberalism. This book adds a further layer of depth and urgency to this existential calling." -- David Ingram, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago