Reconceiving liberalism

by Oren M. Levin-Waldman

Reconceiving Liberalism affirms that liberalism, contrary to popular misconceptions that liberal public policy is out of touch with traditional American values, does contain a moral vision of what constitutes the good life. But that vision is often obscured by a reliance on neutrality - the constraint that government may not show preference - as a measure of policy. In this groundbreaking book, Levin-Waldman suggests that the liberal state would do better to look toward other core liberal values, especially communal good, which he locates in the writings of John Locke. Although Locke has traditionally been presented as the ultimate spokesman for the minimalist state, Levin-Waldman sees Locke searching for a balance between individualism and the needs and interests of communities, crafting a political theory that entirely justifies a positivist state.