,
7 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
1 At times recently I have read an article or tweet fundamentally critiquing liberal ideas - of human rights, social democracy, international institutions and cooperation - and have despaired. Sometimes it almost physically hurts to hear ideas I care about being attacked
2/ It feels like a consensus which has been in place at least since I was at uni in the early 2000s is falling away, and worries me what would replace it, particularly if it's populism from the left or right, both of which are anti-liberal in their way.
3/ Then I think: what would JS Mill say? That our ideas are worth next to nothing unless they are put up to proper scrutiny and we are forced to stand up and defend them. Yes it hurts, and feels weirdly personal (hello, motivated reasoning!), but it makes our ideas stronger
4/ There is no point banging on about human rights or liberalism as if they are religions which can never be challenged. They must be. If we have it wrong, in part or in full, then we need to know. Improve. Refine.
5/ I strongly believe a liberal society - with domestic and international institutions founded in human rights principles - is the best to ensure people are free to get on with their lives and flourish. I worry about the alternatives, as enticing as 'crushing elites' may sound
6/ So, in sum, bring it on. No idea is sacred. Liberalism isn't a state of nature which will kick in when sensible people are in power. People in democracies need to be convinced. Liberalism needs people to champion it, not tell its critics that they are cultish or brain dead.
7/ This is what I want to achieve with the human rights podcast I'll be launching soon. A genuine exploration of liberalism, no holy cows, sharpening ideas and strengthening them for the future, which will be very challenging indeed. Let's do it!
