“A stirring intellectual defense of liberalism from its critics across the political spectrum.”
—Politico
“Sunstein provides a full-throated defense of liberalism, which he defines broadly as the Enlightenment commitments to human freedom, pluralism, fairness, representative government, and the rule of law… In the ongoing ideological debates between liberalism and its critics, Sunstein masterfully stakes out and defends the tradition’s high ground, a vision of liberal society equipped with a living constitution that protects the rights and dignity of individuals and the free play of ideas.”
—
Foreign Affairs
“Sunstein has written a new book, called
On Liberalism, which is a defense of the idea of liberalism at a time when Sunstein believes it is under threat from both the right and the left. The book barely mentions Donald Trump or contemporary politics, however, and instead provides a defense of a general liberal belief system, which Sunstein breaks down into eighty-five features. Sunstein’s conception of liberalism is quite capacious; it includes New Deal liberals and so-called classical liberals, including Friedrich von Hayek and Robert Nozick, as well as politicians such as Ronald Reagan.”
—The New Yorker
“The words of Sunstein—a specialist in constitutional law, administrative law, and behavioural economics who is one of the most widely cited legal scholars and advised Presidents Obama and Biden—will be of high interest to readers across the political spectrum…This book is highly recommended for readers to better understand the philosophical ideals that compete in the United States.”
—
Library Journal
“Cass Sunstein has written what may be the most lucid and unembarrassed defense of liberalism in recent memory. On Liberalism is at once a philosophical meditation, a political testament, and a quiet act of intellectual recovery. In an age when the word ‘liberal’ is either wielded as an accusation or whispered with apology, Sunstein offers something rare: a confident, humane, and historically informed affirmation that liberalism remains the best moral and political framework we have.”
—The Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics
“If you want to know why liberalism cannot die, read this book. In his spirited and timely reaction to efforts to tear down liberal institutions and discredit liberal principles, Sunstein brilliantly illuminates why liberalism has dominated modern political thought and why its core commitments to pluralism, fairness, innovation, and self-correction are too politically, economically, and culturally fertile to succumb for long to the arrogance, aggression, and false certainties of its enemies.”
—Stephen Holmes, Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law, New York University
“Cass Sunstein provides an informed, enlightening, and passionate demonstration that even though it is a big tent, liberalism can still provide us with a fighting faith. This is a faith to cling to through these unconscionable days.”
—Philip Pettit, L. S. Rockefeller University Professor of Human Values, Princeton University; author, The State and Just Freedom
“Liberals don’t have to agree about everything to remain neighbors, Cass Sunstein shows in his excellent mapping exercise. As a crisis darkens the territory, however, Sunstein gives most love to John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor, who light the way with a liberalism promoting experiments, in combination with economic fairness.”
—Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History, Yale University, author, Liberalism Against Itself
“Fiery, passionate, and hopeful, Cass Sunstein’s
On Liberalism offers not a tepid defense, but an inspiring vision of liberalism for our era. He offers the best brief account I know of the liberal idea of the rule of law, and he makes a compelling case for New Deal economic and social rights as essential underpinnings of real freedom.
—Martha C. Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago; author, Justice for Animals
“On Liberalism is a splendid little book. From the rousing manifesto that constitutes its opening chapter to the final discussion of the idea of opportunity, it is clear, balanced, and persuasive.”
—Alan Ryan, Emeritus Professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford; author, The Philosophy of John Stuart Mill and The Making of Modern Liberalism
“The word ‘liberalism,’ like the word ‘conservatism,’ is used by different people today to mean different—often incompatible—things. The result is massive confusion that has for decades needed clearing up. Cass Sunstein has done the job. His new book is a blessing not only to those who embrace liberalism, but also to those who are skeptical of it. He advances a sane and humane liberalism, one in which even critics, if they are at all fair-minded, will find more than a little to admire.”
—Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
About the Author
Cass R. Sunstein is Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University, where he is the cofounder and codirector of the Initiative on Artificial Intelligence and the Law. Former Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, he is the author of The Cost-Benefit Revolution, How Change Happens, Too Much Information, Sludge, Climate Justice (all published by the MIT Press), Nudge (with Richard H. Thaler), and other books.
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