The Myth of Liberal Individualism

Thisbookchallengesustolookatliberalpoliticalideasinafreshway.ColinBirdexaminestheassumption,heldbothbyliberalsandbytheirstrongestcritics,thatthevaluesandidealsoftheliberalpoliticaltraditioncoherearoundadistinctively'individualist'conceptionoftherelationbetweenindividuals,societyandthestate.Heconcludesthattheformulaof'liberalindividualism'concealsfundamentalconflictsbetweenliberalviewsoftheserelations,conflictsthatneitherliberalsnortheircriticshaveadequatelyrecognized.Hisinterestingandprovocativestudydevelopsapowerfulcriticismofthelibertarianformsof'liberalindividualism'whichhaverisentoprominence,andsuggeststhatbytakingthistermforgranted,theoristshaveexaggeratedtheunityandintegrityofliberalpoliticalidealsandlimitedourperceptionoftheissuestheyraise.