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Description
'A tour de force.' - The Secret Barrister
'Urgent and engaging.' - Nick Cohen, Observer columnist
'A phenomenal history from a truly big mind.' - David Schneider, writer
'Required reading for anyone interested in politics and philosophy.' - Prospect magazine
In a soaring narrative that stretches from the battlefields of the English Civil War to the 2008 Wall Street crash and Brexit, Ian Dunt tells the story of liberalism from its birth in the fight against absolute monarchy to the modern-day struggle against dog-whistle nationalism.
Narrated by the author, this vivid, epic book explains the political ideas which underpin the modern world.
Written by a co-presenter of the Origin Story podcast, it is a call to action for those who believe in freedom and reason, and a clear-throated defence and explanation of why those values matter to us all, in our everyday lives.
Mostly, though, it is political history and philosophy as it should be written (and read): taut, thought-provoking and bursting with ideas.
The book deals with:
• The birth of liberalism with Rene Descartes
• Radical ideas of freedom in the English Civil War
• Mob rule during the French Revolution
• Liberal values in the American War of Independence
• John Stuart Mill and liberalism's great love affair
• The Nazi and Soviet crushing of individual liberty
• John Maynard Keynes' liberal economics
• The rise of identity politics and groupthink
• Social media and misinformation
• Donald Trump and the rise of nationalism worldwide
• Why we fight for our values - the rebellion begins here
Hailed as 'courageous' by LBC's James O'Brien and as a 'tour de force' by the Secret Barrister, How to be a Liberal is both a history of the growth of individual liberty and a rallying cry to turn back the new populism threatening democratic values and personal freedoms.
It is the book you need to navigate our times.
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 story-telling 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
'This book is required reading for anyone interested in politics and philosophy. He describes liberalism as "an enormous, boisterous, confounding bloody thing," and writes passionately in its favour, as a counterweight to ignorance and populism.' - Prospect
'All of Ian Dunt's How to be a Liberal is essential reading, but the chapter on Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill is blistering, eye-opening stuff.' - Shakespeare & Company bookshop, Paris
About the Author
Ian Dunt is a columnist, author of How Westminster Works, and presents the Origin Story podcast.
His first book, Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? (Canbury Press, 2017), on Britain's challenge in leaving the European Union, was a critically-acclaimed bestseller.
In How To Be A Liberal (Canbury, 2020), he tells the epic story of personal freedom. 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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