Putting Liberalism in its Place<\/a>, 120), is to find that set of arguments that is so compelling that every individual, not corrupted by the illogic of interest, would necessarily affirm those reasons as his own.\u201d Because it assumes the mantle of reason, it has \u201cits own imperial ambitions\u201d and can conceive of \u201cno legitimate opposition because it has preempted the entire domain of public values by making an exhaustive claim to reason.\u201d What is outside liberalism isn\u2019t reason, but irrationality, most especially the irrationality of faith.\u00a0<\/p>\nIf you doubt it, check again Justice Kennedy\u2019s reasoning in Windsor: What rational <\/em>reason could anyone have to oppose homosexual practice?<\/p>\nIn claiming the realm of reason, liberalism also claims the realm of public space, which is precisely the space that is ruled by the rules of reason, which liberalism has laid down: \u201cThe public\/private distinction . . . is neither spatial nor material; it rests on a prior division of the reasonable and unreasonable\u201d (122). The realm of reason is also the realm of will, of choice. In private life, liberalism permits imposed life-styles; not in public.<\/p>\n
But liberal reason is restless: \u201cevery conception of liberalism . . . is vulnerable to the argument that reason can go still further, that is, that it has conceded too broad a domain to the private,\u201d the irrational and unwilled, which are essentially the same: \u201cChoices made under circumstances of coercion or false belief are not deserving of respect.\u201d On reflection, though, it is not at all clear which choices are freely made and which are coerced or nudged. So, liberal reason has a special urgency in its imperialism: \u201cEvery choice can be seen as a product of a particular context that is itself unchosen; every choice will have some harmful effect on an unwilling other. Reason can endlessly pursue both of these claims,\u201d and slowly, surely gobble up whatever remains of the private realm of irrationality.<\/p>\n
That parents come under suspicion for teaching religious \u201cmyths\u201d to their children isn\u2019t a defect in liberalism. It\u2019s the inherent imperialism of liberal reason coming to expression.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe ambition of the liberal political philosopher,\u201d writes Paul Kahn (Putting Liberalism in its Place, 120), is to find that set of arguments that is so compelling that every individual, not corrupted by the illogic of interest, would necessarily affirm those reasons as his own.\u201d Because it assumes the mantle of reason, it has \u201cits […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,1277],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-liberalism","category-privacy"],"yoast_head":"\n
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