Liberalism as a Way of Life, Alexandre Lefebvre
Liberalism as a Way of Life, Alexandre Lefebvre
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Liberalism as a Way of Life

Author: Alexandre Lefebvre

Narrator: Christopher Douyard

Unabridged: 16 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Kalorama

Published: 06/04/2024


Synopsis

Where do you get your values and sensibilities from? If you grew up in a Western democracy, the answer is probably liberalism. Conservatives are right about one thing: liberalism is the ideology of our times, as omnipresent as religion once was. Yet, as Alexandre Lefebvre argues in Liberalism as a Way of Life, many of us are liberal without fully realizing it—or grasping what it means. Misled into thinking that liberalism is confined to politics, we fail to recognize that it's the water we swim in, saturating every area of public and private life, shaping our psychological and spiritual outlooks, and influencing our moral and aesthetic values—our sense of what is right, wrong, good, bad, funny, worthwhile, and more. This eye-opening book shows how so many of us are liberal to the core, why liberalism provides the basis for a good life, and how we can make our lives better and happier by becoming more aware of, and more committed to, the beliefs we already hold.

A lively, engaging, and uplifting guide to living well, the liberal way, Liberalism as a Way of Life is filled with examples from television, movies, stand-up comedy, and social media—from Parks and Recreation and The Good Place to the Borat movies and Hannah Gadsby. Along the way, you'll also learn about seventeen benefits of being a liberal and practical exercises to increase these rewards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Einzige on September 22, 2024

A solid concept, in a book that just isn’t up to the task Taking a criticism of liberalism and seeking to make it positive the author combines Hadot’s idea of philosophy being a way of life with the liberalism of John Rawls. They believe that liberalism is capable of providing a comprehensive world......more

Goodreads review by Paul on July 25, 2024

Following the political philosophy of John Rawls, this book offers both an overview of the philosophy (fairness) and series of steps to embed a liberal approach in one’s existence. I took pages of notes and imagine to this I shall return in these heady months to come.......more

Goodreads review by Justinas on December 02, 2024

A book whose parts are greater than the whole. The central insight that liberalism offers itself as a full way of life is solid, and the focus on the final parts of A Theory of Justice offers a fresh perspective into Rawls at a time when it’s a bit surprising there are any fresh perspectives into Ra......more

Goodreads review by Michael on March 03, 2025

This was meh and also totally missed the moment. Liberaldom is a watered down exploration of the NIMBY-In This House and it’s very clear that liberalism is not the assumption for America anymore. Sad but true......more

Goodreads review by Travis on December 23, 2024

An excellent work in modern liberal philosophy, building upon the ancient Greeks through Bentham, Mill and Tocqueville to John Rawls. Lefebvre poignantly identifies our current state of affairs as what he calls “liberaldom”, where certain elements of liberal political philosophy permeate society, bu......more