A passionate defense of liberalism, exploring what it is, why it’s essential today, and how it can move our nation forward.

The Future of Liberalism represents the culmination of four decades of thinking and writing about contemporary politics by Alan Wolfe, one of America’s leading scholars, hailed by one critic as “one of liberalism’s last and most loyal sons.” Wolfe mines the bedrock of the liberal tradition, explaining how Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, John Dewey, and other celebrated minds helped shape liberalism’s central philosophy. Wolfe also examines those who have challenged liberalism since its inception, from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to modern conservatives, religious fundamentalists, and evolutionary theorists such as Richard Dawkins.

Drawing on both the inspiration and insights of seminal works such as John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments, Kant’s essay “What Is Enlightenment?,” and Mill’s On Liberty and The Subjection of Women, Wolfe ambitiously sets out to define what it truly means to be a liberal. He analyzes and applauds liberalism’s capacious conception of human nature, belief that people outweigh ideology, passion for social justice, faith in reason and intellectual openness, and respect for individualism. And we see how the liberal tradition can influence and illuminate contemporary debates on immigration, abortion, executive power, religious freedom, and free speech.

But Wolfe also makes it clear that before liberalism can be successfully applied to today’s problems, it needs to be recovered, understood, and embraced—not just by Americans but by all modern people—as the most beneficial way to live in our complex modern world. The Future of Liberalism is a crucial, enlightening, and immensely rewarding step in that direction.

Praise for The Future of Liberalism

“Alan Wolfe has written a small masterpiece of political thought: deeply learned, pragmatic and principled, appropriately self-critical, and a pleasure to read. It is an essential book for anyone who hopes liberalism will prosper again or wonders why it should.”
—Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan

“Alan Wolfe restores luster to the original ideals of liberty and equality, but also shows liberalism’s pragmatic side—its recognition of the need for governance at home and leadership abroad. He shows that liberals, too, can have a ‘purpose-driven life’ if they just reclaim their legacy.”
—Mark Lilla, author of The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West

“In this wise, passionate, and persuasive book, Alan Wolfe draws on decades of reflection and scholarship to elucidate and champion one of the most important concepts of the human enterprise. While fully living up to its title by providing hope and guidance for the century just begun, The Future of Liberalism is also a tour de force of intellectual history—and an astute commentary on the great political issues of our time.”
—Strobe Talbott, author of The Great Experiment

“This book requires your attention. Liberalism in America cannot be dead. It is at the center of its history. But Americans should know why. Alan Wolfe tells us in a book of impressive scholarship and wide reach.”
—Jeff Madrick, author of The Case for Big Government

“Alan Wolfe and I disagree on many things, but as a defender and thinker about the liberal philosophy in America, he is one of the best. The Future of Liberalism is typical of that. I continue to learn from Alan when I read him, and so doing helps me define and refine my positions and thinking. Alan is always worth the read.”
—William J. Bennett, author of America: The Last Best Hope