The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine


SCIENCE SALON # 91

Michael Shermer with James Traub — What Was Liberalism? The Past, Present, and Promise of a Noble Idea

In this wide-ranging conversation James Traub and Michael Shermer discuss:

  • the changing meaning of “liberalism” over the centuries and decades
  • why the first liberals were deeply skeptical of majority rule
  • how, by the second half of the 20th century, liberalism become the national creed of the most powerful country in the world
  • why this consensus did not last
  • the giants of liberalism: James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Stuart Mill, Isiah Berlin
  • Karl Popper, the Open Society, and the paradox of tolerance (that tolerating intolerance is self-defeating)
  • Donald Trump as the first American president to regard liberal values with open contempt
  • illiberalism in the UK, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, and Germany
  • why liberalism lost the support it once enjoyed
  • the intolerance of the illiberal left, identity politics, and political correctness
  • what a potential future for liberalism would look like.

James Traub has spent the last forty years as a journalist for American’s leading publications, including the New Yorker and the New York Times magazine. He now teaches foreign policy and intellectual history at New York University and at NYU Abu Dhabi, and is a columnist and contributor at Foreign Policy. He is the author of six previous books on foreign and domestic affairs. His most recent work is John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit. He lives in New York City.

Listen to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.

Watch or listen now

You play a vital part in our commitment to promote science and reason. If you enjoy the Science Salon Podcast, please show your support by making a donation.

DR. MICHAEL SHERMER ON RUSSIAN TV

Luck, Dreams & Other Psychological Mysteries

Dr. Michael Shermer appears on Russian TV to discuss with Sophie Shevardnadze: hoping, fantasizing, believing, dreams, and why luck doesn’t exist but feeling lucky may lead to actions that lead to more success that in hindsight look like luck!

Watch the interview

PURCHASE WITH PURPOSE!

Shop AmazonSmile to Support Skeptics Society

Did you know that when you shop for the holidays at smile.amazon.com AmazonSmile donates to Skeptics Society?

Shop Now

OCTOBER 3–15, 2020

Join DR. JARED DIAMOND on an epic 13-day journey exploring the archeological and cultural riches of Athens, the Peloponnese, and Southern Italy

The Skeptics Society is delighted to offer you this opportunity to join Pulitzer-prize-winning and bestselling author Professor Jared Diamond on this magnificent travel & learning experience.

Get full details

Skeptic Magazine App on iPhone

SKEPTIC App

Whether at home or on the go, the SKEPTIC App is the easiest way to read your favorite articles. Within the app, users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Download the app today and get a 30-day free trial subscription.

Download the Skeptic Magazine App for iOS, available on the App Store
Download the Skeptic Magazine App for Android, available on Google Play
SKEPTIC • 3938 State St., Suite 101, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105-3114 • 1-805-576-9396 • Copyright © 1992–2024. All rights reserved • Privacy Policy