Patrick Deneen, author of Why Liberalism Failed, will give a presentation followed by a Q&A session at Northern Michigan University. The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in 1322 Jamrich Hall. It is free and open to the public.
Of the three dominant ideologies of the 20th century—fascism, communism and liberalism—only the last remains. In Why Liberalism Failed, Deneen argues that it is built on a foundation of contradictions. Liberalism “trumpets equal rights while fostering incomparable material quality; its legitimacy rests on consent, yet it discourages civic commitments in favor of privatism; and in its pursuit of individual autonomy, it has given rise to the most far-reaching, comprehensive state system in human history.” He also warns about the inherent features of a system whose success is generating its own failure.
Deneen is professor of political science and holds the David A. Potenziani Memorial College Chair of Constitutional Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His previous books include The Odyssey of Political Theory, Democratic Faith, and a number of edited volumes.
This event is presented by the NMU Center for Academic and Intellectual Freedom in cooperation with College Democrats, College Republicans and Young Americans for Freedom. It is co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the departments of English, Sociology and Political Science, and the institute for Human Studies at George Mason University.