Taking the Liberal Challenge Seriously Essays on Contemporary Liberalism at the Turn of the 21st Century - Avebury Series in Philosophy

Liberalism as an intellectual and political movement has come a long way from Anglo?American classical liberalism to contemporary liberal deontology. Sometimes it seems that the latest versions of liberal theory have very little in common with the original ideas involved in liberal thought. This gradual change in Western political tradition has led the modern market-based democracy into a state of confusion; it not always being clear whether liberal political theory merely justifies contemporary power structures and material values or whether it actually involves a comprehensive moral view that a democratic political order is meant to promote. - - This collection of articles discusses the extensive challenges liberalism faces at the advent of the 21st century, not only offering a comprehensive critical survey of various controversial issues in liberal theory and political practice but also providing new interpretations of its central ideas.