Ezra's Bookshelf

Liberalism as a Way of Life

by Alexandre Lefebvre · 304 pages · ~5.5 hrs

PhilosophyPolitics & GovernmentSociety & Culture

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Alexandre Lefebvre, a political theorist at the University of Sydney, takes liberalism seriously as more than an arrangement of political institutions: in his account, it is a 'way of life,' a cluster of habits, sensibilities, and spiritual commitments that already saturate the everyday existence of most people in wealthy democracies, whether or not they think of themselves as 'liberals.' Drawing on John Rawls, Judith Shklar, and Pierre Hadot's work on ancient philosophy as a practice, Lefebvre lays out what he sees as the seventeen distinctive virtues of the liberal character—including fairness, irony, gratitude, peace of mind, and a particular kind of cheer—and argues that they are visible in everything from sitcom comedy to social media etiquette to the way most parents raise their children. The book treats stand-up comics, prestige television, and self-help culture as serious carriers of liberal moral teaching. Lefebvre's claim is not that liberalism is simply correct but that those who already live it should recognize their inheritance, name it, and defend it rather than wallow in ironic disavowal. The result is a sympathetic, often funny defense of a tradition usually argued for in much drier terms, and it has been read both as a contribution to political theory and as a kind of secular spiritual guide.

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