Post-Liberalism in Conversation: Liberalism and its fate

The story liberalism tells about itself, about its commitment to the rule of law and neutrality and its protection of civil liberties and human rights, has been a central expression of its practice in the West for decades. Yet our contemporary politics seem to manifestly challenge this self-conception and have left many second guessing the evolution of liberalism and the extent to which its founding principles remain relevant today. In seeking answers, some wonder whether liberal principles have simply been misapplied, whether anterior promises have been left unfulfilled through misguided practice. Others wonder whether liberalism's flaws lie deeper and whether we ought to raise more fundamental questions, more foundational challenges to the liberal status quo. Does liberalism hold the key to human flourishing, or has it failed to deliver on its promises? Is a post-liberal future on the horizon, and if so, what might it look like?

This speaker series, organized by the Illiberalism Studies Program and the Loeb Institute for Religious Freedom at the George Washington University, proposes to provide a space for intellectually stimulating discussions surrounding liberal and non-liberal ideologies. We want to promote substantive discussion of political and economic visions for the future. By facilitating open dialogues, this series seeks to transcend ideological boundaries and foster a deeper comprehension of each other's viewpoints.

Speakers

Patrick J. Deneen is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. Deneen's intellectual interests and publications are ranging, including ancient political thought, American political thought, liberalism, conservatism, religion and politics and literature and politics. He has written four books and edited three others. His books include The Odyssey of Political Theory, Democratic Faith, Conserving America?, Why Liberalism Failed, and Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future.

Samuel Moyn is the Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, where he also serves as head of Grace Hopper College. Trained in modern European intellectual history, he works on political and legal thought in modern times and on constitutional and international law in historical and current perspective. His most recent book is Liberalism against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times (Yale University Press, 2023), based on the Carlyle Lectures in the History of Political Thought at the University of Oxford.

Moderator

Marlene Laruelle is Research Professor of International Affairs and Political Science and Director of the Illiberalism Studies Program at the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Laruelle works on the rise of populist and illiberal movements in post-Soviet Eurasia, Europe and the US. She is the former Director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES) and of the Central Asia Program (CAP).

Chair

Samuel Goldman is Associate Professor of Political Science at GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences as well as Executive Director of the John L. Loeb, Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and Director of the Politics & Values Program. His first book God’s Country: Christian Zionism in America was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2018. His second book, After Nationalism, was published from the University of Pennsylvania Press in early 2021. In addition to his academic research, Goldman's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.