How To Be a Liberal

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Postscript summary

Across the world a rising tide of populist nationalism is challenging the liberal ideals on which Western democracy is founded. In this comprehensive survey the political journalist Ian Dunt follows the development of liberalism from the Levellers in the 17th century to the ideas of John Stuart Mill and George Orwell, and outlines what we must do to resist the challenges it faces today from austerity, post-truth and identity politics.

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The fightback against populism begins with this work explaining liberal values

'Required reading for anyone interested in politics and philosophy' - Prospect magazine

How To Be A Liberal is a bracing, beautifully written history of liberalism - and a practical defence of liberal democracy in an era of nationalism, culture wars, and post-truth politics.

Political journalist Ian Dunt (author of How Westminster Works and co-presenter of the Origin Stories podcast) takes you from the scientific revolution to the present day, tracing how the idea of individual freedom became the most radical programme in modern politics. Along the way you'll meet rebels, philosophers, campaigners, and iconoclasts - and see why liberalism still matters to anyone who cares about human rights, reason, and a plural society.

Dunt begins where our current crisis starts: the rise of nationalism and its seductive simplifications - attacks on institutions, diversity, and even the possibility of objective truth. He shows how liberalism answers those pressures: by insisting that people are individuals before they are tribes, by defending free enquiry and evidence, and by protecting the space each person needs to live, love, and think as they choose.

Inside you'll find:

A compelling narrative history of liberal thought-from Descartes and the birth of modern reason, through revolutionary arguments about rights and consent, to the debates that shaped the modern world.
A clear explanation of liberalism's core principles: individual liberty, equal rights, democratic restraint, and the institutions that keep power accountable.
A modern guide to today's conflicts-identity politics, anti-truth, and the new nationalism-and what a renewed, radical liberalism could look like.

Whether you're a student of political philosophy, a reader of the history of ideas, or simply looking for a sharper way to understand liberalism and liberal democracy, How To Be A Liberal is an essential, hopeful book: a reminder that freedom is not a slogan, but a practice-and that it begins with the individual.

Reviews

'A tour de force; a mighty trumpet blast for the forces of liberalism and enlightenment in the face of a global tide of ignorance and populism.' - The Secret Barrister

'This is a history of ideas as it should be written - brilliant, vivid storytelling about the people who shaped liberalism, the challenges it has faced over the centuries, its commitment to the truth and why it's now more important than ever to defend it.' - Caroline Lucas MP

'How To Be A Liberal is required reading for today's political debates.' - Anne Applebaum, Twilight of Democracy

'I'm loving How to be a Liberal. It's really great. I mean breathtakingly good. Bravo.' - Dr Ben Goldacre

About the Author

Ian Dunt is a journalist, newspaper columnist and co-presents the Origin Story podcast.

His first book, Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? (Canbury Press, 2017), about Britain's challenge in leaving the European Union, was a bestseller.

In How To Be A Liberal (Canbury, 2020), he tells the epic story of personal freedom, with panache and a panoramic sweep. Ranging across history, politics and economics, he makes a powerful case for a radical brand of egalitarian liberalism that can safeguard individuals while looking after everyone.

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