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My current “nightstand” reading is John Gray’s " target="_blank">Two Faces of Liberalism, which I purchased after reading for first part of his " target="_blank">Black Mass.
My current “nightstand” reading is John Gray’s " target="_blank">Two Faces of Liberalism, which I purchased after reading for first part of his " target="_blank">Black Mass.2
Before picking up these books, Gray has been someone in the “background,” part of the political noise coming from the literati that I have been trying to track and make sense of for years (I am a very slow learner). The label “public intellectual” comes to mind — a high level “pundit” who wrote for the NYRB and that kind of publication, and who every so often would make some comment that would draw attention. If I associated him with anything, it was Thatcherism and neo-liberalism. Obviously I was way off base…
Before picking up these books, Gray has been someone in the “background,” part of the political noise coming from the literati that I have been trying to track and make sense of for years (I am a very slow learner). The label “public intellectual” comes to mind — a high level “pundit” who wrote for the NYRB and that kind of publication, and who every so often would make some comment that would draw attention. If I associated him with anything, it was Thatcherism and neo-liberalism. Obviously I was way off base…3
It was a “vodcast” on fora.tv that got me beyond the mistaken view of Gray — and led me to the current readings. It is a tape of a “conversation” with Gray held at some book fair in Sydney and it focused on Back Mass, which is his most recent. This was obviously no mere commentator — Gray seemed worth the read, so I ordered Black Mass as well as the Two Faces of Liberalism. Two Faces was backordered, so I started Black Mass and soon became intrigued. As I got into Black Mass it became evident that a full appreciation of that work required a reading of Two Faces. And thus my current reflections…..
It was a “vodcast” on fora.tv that got me beyond the mistaken view of Gray — and led me to the current readings. It is a tape of a “conversation” with Gray held at some book fair in Sydney and it focused on Back Mass, which is his most recent. This was obviously no mere commentator — Gray seemed worth the read, so I ordered Black Mass as well as the Two Faces of Liberalism. Two Faces was backordered, so I started Black Mass and soon became intrigued. As I got into Black Mass it became evident that a full appreciation of that work required a reading of Two Faces. And thus my current reflections…..4
Two Faces provides a contrast between the Liberalism of Mill and the Liberalism of Hobbes — or, to use some other labels I think Gray would feel comfortable with, Enlightenment Liberalism and Agnostic Liberalism (after Isaiah Berlin, who Gray obviously regards as his mentor). The Enlightenment Liberalism (again, my label, drawn more from Black Mass than from Two Faces) believes in the promise of rationality and progress, an overarching truth that emerges from science and consensus overtime. Agnostic Liberalism (again, a label drawn less from Two Faces than from Gray’s reference to Berlin) adheres to a value-pluralism approach — there is no truth or higher set of values, only the constant effort to live with (and within) the diversity of values and lifeworlds (again, I am putting words in Gray’s mouth) that increasingly characterize our world. Social life, governance, etc are constant efforts to “deal” with this diversity, etc.
Two Faces provides a contrast between the Liberalism of Mill and the Liberalism of Hobbes — or, to use some other labels I think Gray would feel comfortable with, Enlightenment Liberalism and Agnostic Liberalism (after Isaiah Berlin, who Gray obviously regards as his mentor). The Enlightenment Liberalism (again, my label, drawn more from Black Mass than from Two Faces) believes in the promise of rationality and progress, an overarching truth that emerges from science and consensus overtime. Agnostic Liberalism (again, a label drawn less from Two Faces than from Gray’s reference to Berlin) adheres to a value-pluralism approach — there is no truth or higher set of values, only the constant effort to live with (and within) the diversity of values and lifeworlds (again, I am putting words in Gray’s mouth) that increasingly characterize our world. Social life, governance, etc are constant efforts to “deal” with this diversity, etc.5
That last paragraph does not do the distinction between the two liberalisms justice, and so I will keep plugging away at the ideas and views of Gray as I continue with these posts….
That last paragraph does not do the distinction between the two liberalisms justice, and so I will keep plugging away at the ideas and views of Gray as I continue with these posts….Tags: John Gray, liberalism