The problem I've always had with political liberalism has to do with its claims about universal validity. The universal quality of liberal theory is one of it's core principles. In Australia liberalism has tradionally been based on a thin conception of the individual as the rational economic man, called "utility maximizer" who engages in utility-maximizing behavior.
To challenge the universal attitude of liberal thought is to rattle its foundations since the universalism of liberalism means that it does not tolerate particular identities and ways of life. Liberal thought is insensitive to it's contingency and historicity.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at October 23, 2004 06:43 PM | TrackBack