Mark Lilla's The Once and Future Liberal: Three Books That Informed the Liberal Imagination arrived in 2017, a sharp and often bracing diagnosis of what he saw as the ailing condition of American liberalism. The book is not a book in the traditional sense, but rather a series of lectures delivered at Princeton, offering a condensed yet potent critique of contemporary liberal thought, primarily focusing on its perceived overemphasis on identity politics at the expense of broader, unifying principles. Lilla contends that the left's historical commitment to universalist ideals has been eroded by a fixation on group grievances, thereby alienating potential allies and hindering its ability to build a broad-based political movement. He argues for a re-engagement with the foundational ideas of liberalism, suggesting that a return to a focus on shared citizenship and common aspirations is essential for its future relevance and electoral success.
Lilla's central thesis is that the rise of identity politics has fragmented the liberal coalition. He traces this shift through a consideration of three thinkers: Thomas Paine, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Carl von Clausewitz. Paine, representing the Enlightenment ideal of universal rights and republicanism, serves as a foil to contemporary activism. Lilla admires Paine's capacity to articulate a vision of self-governance that transcended narrow group interests, appealing instead to a universal human desire for liberty. He contrasts this with what he perceives as the current liberal tendency to prioritize the specific claims of racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identity groups. This focus, while understandable in its origins, has, according to Lilla, led to a "politics of grievance" that makes coalition-building difficult. For instance, he points to the way discussions around issues like affirmative action or campus speech codes, while addressing genuine inequities, can become bogged down in sectarian disputes, making it hard to find common ground with those outside these specific identity groups.
The inclusion of Machiavelli and Clausewitz might seem incongruous in a discussion of liberalism, but Lilla uses them to highlight the need for political realism and strategic thinking. Machiavelli, often misread as a proponent of amorality, is presented here as a keen observer of power dynamics and the mechanics of statecraft. Lilla suggests that the left has become too idealistic and divorced from the practical realities of wielding political power. Similarly, Clausewitz's dictum that war is the continuation of politics by other means underscores the need for a clear understanding of political objectives and the strategies required to achieve them. Lilla implies that the left's current approach, preoccupied with symbolic battles and moral purity, has lost sight of these fundamental requirements for effective political action. He laments a perceived decline in the ability of liberals to engage in the kind of robust, sometimes uncomfortable, strategic maneuvering that is necessary to win elections and enact policy.
Lilla’s critique is not an outright dismissal of the struggles of marginalized groups. He acknowledges the historical injustices that have necessitated the formation of identity-based movements. However, he believes that these movements have, over time, become an end in themselves rather than a means to a broader, more inclusive political end. He argues that by focusing on what makes each group unique, liberalism risks losing sight of what unites Americans as citizens. This, he believes, has contributed to the Republican Party's success in mobilizing voters around a more unified, if sometimes nationalistic, vision. The book's conclusion is a call for a renewed liberalism that can articulate a compelling vision of shared citizenship, one that addresses the needs and aspirations of all Americans, not just specific segments of the population. He urges liberals to rediscover the language of patriotism and common purpose, a language he believes has been ceded to the right.
The Once and Future Liberal is a provocative and timely intervention in contemporary political discourse. Lilla’s arguments are lucidly presented, and his engagement with historical thinkers provides a valuable framework for understanding the evolution of liberal thought. While his critique of identity politics may be controversial, it undeniably raises important questions about the strategies and effectiveness of the contemporary left. The book serves as a potent reminder that political movements require not only moral clarity but also a pragmatic understanding of power and the capacity to forge broad coalitions.