HON351
Fall Semester 2008
Study Guide
Liberalism in Critical Perspective
Reading Assignment:
George Perkovich, "Giving Justice Its Due," Foreign Affairs, Vol, 84, No. 4, (July/August 2005) (electronic reserves)
Paul Starr, "Why Liberalism Works," American Prospect, April 2007, pp. 34-40
Other articles (optional)
David Brooks, "The American Way of Equality," New York Times, January 14, 2007
Lynne Adrian, "Disasters and What They Show Us About America's Values," Chronicle of Higher Education, October 7, 2005.
Websites (optional)
World's Smallest Political Quiz (class exercise)
Democratic Party (Agenda and Principles)
American Civil Liberties Union
Questions to consider from the Perkovich article:
1. What are the basic issues that Perkovich raises about the relative emphasis on liberty and justice in US foreign policy?
2. Do freedom and justice normally go hand in hand?
3. Do market oriented societies tend to be indifferent to issues of justice?
4. What consequences does Perkovich foresee from a failure by the United States to put more emphasis on justice in promoting its ideals around the world?
5. How do the issues raised by Perkovich relate to the various approaches to liberalism discussed in the Ball and Dagger text?
Questions to consider while reading the Starr article
6. In what ways does the author suggest that contemporary American liberalism build upon the core beliefs of classical liberalism , as summarized by Ball and Dagger in chapter 3 of their book.
7. What contrasts does the author see between the core values of American liberalism and the conservatism of President Bush and the Republican Party?
8. What distinguishes the American liberalism in its approach to
the distribution of wealth
the role of government
economic policy
personal and civil liberties
social programs
foreign policy
9. Why has liberalism been on defensive in American politics in recent decades?
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Quotes form George Soros, "The Capitalist Threat," Atlantic Monthly, February 1997.
"Although I have made a fortune in the financial markets, I now fear that the untrammeled intensification of laissez-faire capitalism and the spread of market values into all areas of life in endangering our open and democratic society. The main enemy of the open society, I believe, is lo longer the communist but the capitalist threat."
"Popper showed that fascism and communism had much in common, even though one constituted the extreme right and the other the extreme left, because both relied on the power of the state to repress the freedom of the individual. I want to extend his argument. I contend that an open society may also be threatened from the opposite direction---from excessive individualism. Too much competition and too little cooperation can cause intolerable inequities and instabilities."
"Insofar as there is a dominant belief in our society today, it is a belief in the magic of the marketplace. The doctrine of laissez-faire capitalism holds that the common good is best served by the uninhibited pursuit of self interest. Unless is is tempered by the recognition of a common interest that ought to take precedence over particular interests, our present system---which, however imperfect, qualifies of an open society---is liable to break down."