A spirited vindication of classical liberalism and its notions of
constitutional government. In a series of linked essays, Holmes
(Political Science and Law/Univ. of Chicago; The Anatomy of
Anti-Liberalism, not reviewed) takes on what he sees as wrongheaded
criticisms, whether from the right or the left, of three aspects of
liberal democracy: constitutional constraints on majority rule; the
identification of individual freedom with an absence of government
involvement in civil society; and self-interest. Holmes sees these
principles as necessary both for popular self-rule and for the
modern welfare state. Most tellingly, he takes sharp issue with
negative constitutionalism - the idea that constitutions are
designed to curb the power of the sovereign. This notion is true
only up to a point, Holmes counters, arguing that, when legitimated
by a constitution, sovereign or executive power often increases.
Though Holmes touches on the point only lightly, he suggests that
the reason some right-wingers so overestimated the Soviet threat to
the West was that they failed to recognize that the contentious
nature of democracy was not a weakness. "It should now be clear,
for good or ill," he notes, "that liberalism is one of the most
effective philosophies of state building ever contrived." What
lends particular credibility to Holmes's argument is his
examination of the historical context that gave rise to elements of
liberal theory, including the English Civil War, which inspired
Thomas Hobbes's notions of unruly man; the 15th-century conflict
between French Catholics and Huguenots that led Jean Bodin to
speculate on the nature of royal sovereignty; Thomas Jefferson and
Thomas Paine's theories of bonds among the generations; and how
liberal theory is tested in such contemporary applications as
welfare and abortion. Despite some puzzling gaps (e.g., little
discussion of the disruptive effects of race and ethnicity), an
intelligent reminder that a system of government seen as weak can
be unexpectedly strong. (Kirkus Reviews)
In this collection of essays on the core values of liberalism,
Stephen Holmes--noted for his scathing reviews of books by
liberalism's opponents--challenges commonly held assumptions about
liberal theory. By placing it into its original historical context,
"Passions and Constraints" presents an interconnected argument
meant to fundamentally change the way we conceive of liberalism.
According to Holmes, three elements of classical liberal theory are
commonly used to attack contemporary liberalism as antagonistic to
genuine democracy and the welfare state: constitutional constraints
on majority rule, the identification of individual freedom with an
absence of government involvement, and a strong emphasis on the
principle of self-interest. Through insightful essays on Hobbes's
analysis of the English Civil War in "Behemoth," Bodin's writings
on the benefits of limited government, and Mill's views on science
and politics, Holmes shows that these basic principles provide, to
the contrary, a necessary foundation for the development of
democratic, regulatory, and redistributionist politics in the
modern era.
Holmes argues that the aspirations of liberal democracy--including
individual liberty, the equal dignity of citizens, and a tolerance
for diversity--are best understood in relation to two central
themes of classical liberal theory: the psychological motivations
of individuals and the necessary constraint on individual passions
provided by institutions. Paradoxically, Holmes argues that such
institutional restraints serve to enable, rather than limit,
effective democracy.
In explorations of subjects ranging from self-interest to
majoritarianism to "gag rules," Holmes shows thatlimited government
can be more powerful than unlimited government--indeed, that
liberalism is one of the most effective philosophies of state
building ever contrived. By restricting the arbitrary powers of
government officials, Holmes states, a liberal constitution can
increase the state's capacity to focus on specific problems and
mobilize collective resources for common purposes.
"Passions and Constraint" is an assessment of what that tradition
has meant and what it can mean today.
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