Liberalism, Through a Glass Darkly

Philosophical liberalism leads a double life. On the one hand (analytically discursively), it is a closely studied tradition of political thinking, extending from Locke to Hayek, of appreciable internal diversity and recognisable stages of development. On the other hand (rhetorically responsively), it is the hegemonic, all-purpose negative frame of reference. As the dominant First World ideology, or (if one prefers) political theory, it is the viewpoint in terms of which other ideologies define themselves. It is an important counterpoint to Marxism, to socialism, to conservatism, to libertarianism, and even to anarchism, despite the fact that each of these doctrines contains liberal elements to a greater or lesser degree. We examine the conceptual relationship between two key liberal values—justice and rights—especially in light of the rise of “social” justice and its now prominent driver, identitarianism. This is especially challenging to standard conceptions of liberalism and its identity-neutral vocabulary of justice, that is, cives, persons, and agents.