Time for a little excerpt from Patrick Deneen, here discussing "Liberalism" (in the classical sense) as it has played out in the US.
...in the realm of personal morality, we are to regard each other as
radically individuated selves whose actions should be of no concern or
moment to anyone else, as long as no one is being obviously harmed.
While seeking to infuse the economic realm with the mantle of morality,
in the “personal” realm, the language of personal choice comes to
predominate. Progressives argue that the sum of individual choices in
the economic realm has enormous implications for the social whole,
requiring a commitment to redressing the social dislocations that the
sum of those individual choices involve. However, the same logic is not to
apply when considering “personal choice.” While the accumulation of
various personal decisions—for instance, divorce or pornography—in fact
arguably has rather profound social implications, we are largely
required to ignore these in the name of the liberty of lifestyle
“experimentation.” We are to adopt an attitude of “non-judgmentalism,”
and even indifference. These two core commitments of modern Progressive
liberalism induces schizophrenia that so deeply informs contemporary
American politics.
As we will see, the opposite tension (and even schizophrenia) applies
to “Natural Rights Conservatives,” who defend an extensively
unregulated market and support various forms of morals legislation. What
we should notice is that the two political worldviews have been
successful mainly in the areas where they are more “libertarian”:
progressives in expanding the sphere of personal liberty, conservatives
in defending an extensively free market order (both, of course, would
likely conclude otherwise). What is noteworthy is that neither has been
nearly as successful in the less “libertarian” part of their agenda,
which suggests that the “contradiction” at the heart of their respective
commitments has a tendency to resolve itself in the favor of social
“solvents” rather than “morality.” This outcome may be deeply reflective
of the overall tendency of American politics, born of the liberal
tradition....
Yes, that is a problem. Look no further than the widespread support given Kim Davis AND the increasing resentment of the Chamber of Commerce's pocket-toys, the (R) Establishment.
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