The Struggle for a Decent Politics, Michael Walzer
The Struggle for a Decent Politics, Michael Walzer
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The Struggle for a Decent Politics
On "Liberal" as an Adjective

Author: Michael Walzer

Narrator: Robert Fass

Unabridged: 5 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/17/2023

Synopsis

A testament to what it means to be liberal by one of the most prominent political philosophers of our eraThere was a time when liberalism was an ism like any other, but that time, writes Michael Walzer, is gone. “Liberal” now conveys not a specific ideology but a moral stance, so the word is best conceived not as a noun but as an adjective—one is a “liberal democrat” or a “liberal nationalist.” Walzer itemizes the characteristics described by “liberal” in an inventory of his own deepest political and moral commitments—among other things, to the principle of equality, to the rule of law, and to a pluralism that is both political and cultural. Unabashedly asserting that liberalism is a universal set of values (“it must be universal,” he writes, “since it is under attack everywhere”), Walzer reminds us in this inspiring book why those values are worth fighting for.

About Michael Walzer

Michael Walzer is emeritus professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. One of America’s foremost political thinkers, he served as editor of the political journal Dissent for more than three decades.

About Robert Fass

Robert Fass is a veteran actor and twice winner of the prestigious Audie Award for the year’s best narration. He has earned many Earphones Awards and AudioFile magazine “Best of the Year” accolades.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Izzy on June 10, 2023

Walzer’s take is interesting. I really enjoyed his definition of liberal as meaning having an open mind or being open to things. His examples hit home for me as he to is Jewish and still finds a lot of his political ideals through his Jewish learning and teachings. I thought it was definitely a bene......more

Goodreads review by Kristen on February 07, 2025

2.5 A covid-era reflection that offers some important connections, but overall feels like a man from a strong position of privilege musing about a liberal ideologies whilst failing to sufficiently engage critically with his own biases. I wholeheartedly agree with many of the points he discusses about......more

Goodreads review by Ryan on February 01, 2023

What does—or should—it mean to be a liberal? According to political philosopher Michael Walzer, it’s best to think of the term “liberal” as an adjective—one that qualifies an independent commitment—and not as a noun, which signifies the commitment itself. In other words, if you were to describe your......more

Goodreads review by Joseph on November 21, 2023

There's a certain kind of book that prominent scholars write at the end of their careers that seeks to reflect upon and encapsulate a lifetime of work. I often find these to be very worthwhile, and Walzer's reflections on liberalism in this book is a great example. In this book, MW argues that it ma......more

Goodreads review by Richard on May 09, 2023

I can get on board with nearly everything that Mr. Walzer says here. His vision of what it means to be liberal and how a liberal government should work largely concide with my own ideas, but he tells us nothing about how we should bring this vision about, and he barely acknowledges the many ways tha......more

Quotes

“This little book by one of the most eminent thinkers of our time contains more political wisdom and moral decency than shelves of tomes on liberalism and its discontents. There is no better defender or critic of our ‘seriously imperfect liberal democracy’ than Michael Walzer.” Michael Kazin, author of What It Took to Win

“The Struggle for a Decent Politics is one of those books that we may come to think of as making the case for liberalism at its best. There are many distinguished predecessors in this list, from J. S. Mill’s On Liberty to Lionel Trilling’s Liberal Imagination to Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty. It would not surprise me if one day we thought of Michael Walzer’s book in this company. It deserves to be.” Steven B. Smith, author of Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes

“In this remarkable, deeply personal book, Michael Walzer melds political theory and un-elegiac memoir to trace the perennial struggle between liberalism and its enemies, a struggle that flashes in every facet of his political life—and ours. Walzer’s lifetime of learning and reflection has yielded an undimmed spirit of defiance, not just of brutal injustice but of the cults of true doctrine that injustice inspires. We’ve never needed that spirit more than now.” Sean Wilentz, author of The Rise of American Democracy

“Michael Walzer’s new book is a departure—it’s his most personal work yet—and, also, a continuation of the themes he’s developed so incisively for over four decades. This is a sometimes surprising, always illuminating look at key political concepts you may think you know (but don’t). The Struggle for a Decent Politics reminds us of what is worth fighting for, and of what can be lost.” Susie Linfield, author of The Lions’ Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky

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