• The Once and Future Liberal

  • After Identity Politics
  • By: Mark Lilla
  • Narrated by: Charles Constant
  • Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (309 ratings)

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The Once and Future Liberal  By  cover art

The Once and Future Liberal

By: Mark Lilla
Narrated by: Charles Constant
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Publisher's summary

From one of the most internationally admired political thinkers, a controversial polemic on the failures of identity politics and what comes next for the left - in America and beyond.

Following the shocking results of the US election of 2016, public intellectuals across the globe offered theories and explanations, but few were met with such vitriol, panic, and debate as Mark Lilla’s. The Once and Future Liberal is a passionate plea to liberals to turn from the divisive politics of identity and develop a vision of the future that can persuade all citizens that they share a common destiny.

Driven by a sincere desire to protect society’s most vulnerable, the left has unwittingly balkanized the electorate, encouraged self-absorption rather than solidarity, and invested its energies in social movements rather than party politics. Identity-focused individualism has insidiously conspired with amoral economic individualism to shape an electorate with little sense of a shared future and near-contempt for the idea of the common good.

Now is the time to re-build a sense of common feeling and purpose, and a sense of duty to one another. A fiercely argued, important book, enlivened by acerbic wit and erudition, The Once and Future Liberal is essential listening for our times.

©2017 Mark Lilla (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about The Once and Future Liberal

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Brilliant and Painfully True

Ever since Trump won the presidency, I've read every book I can get my hands on to figure out why. So far I've read dozens of them (I'm one of those weirdos who listens to a book every single day, rain or shine). This book is far and away the best of them. Invest just a few short hours and you will understand exactly why the Democratic Party doesn't win elections anymore. As a Berkeley alum, this was a painful but necessary wake up call for me.

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Couldn’t Agree More!

Your message is exactly right, but from perspective and based on listening to the reaction of hosts of your interviews regarding the book, I see no chance that your observations could move the Democratic Party. I think you are speaking to a brick wall.

I long ago removed my party identification because the messaging both sides subliminally told me I was not welcome. In my view, political parties are myopically focused winning the next election. It is well known that party strategy often is to prioritize keeping a hot button issue unresolved instead of working across the isle to find practical solution I order to use it to drive fund raising and the base voter to the polls next election.

Neither of the parties are concerned about the long term best interest of the nation as a whole. This is a fact of nature of modern mass media politics.

I do wonder however if your message could form the seed of a coalition of those like myself who are motivated by a broader range of factors in choosing a candidate. N

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6 people found this helpful

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Insightful, spot on and dearly needed

For years I have believed that I have remained relatively consistent in my politics and attitudes towards government, democracy and life. I recall my support for Nixon (pre-criminal years), Dole and Heinz because I am a liberal and a patriot. I watched the Republican party drift and drift until anyone like the above named figures no longer had a home in their party. Having lived largely abroad for the last 15 years, I have now experienced the same thing from my own "side" where I now often find myself defending "progressives" and even conservatives against this unimpeachable mob of identity, self, entitled and fetish obsessed politics of the left. I have stood my ground but it has only been in the last 2 years and most definitively since the victory of Donald Trump that voices on the left have started to be heard as the need to question why we keep losing elections though the nation shares our values becomes a question of existential importance. Mark Lilla, from inside the ivory tower of academia tells us in no uncertain terms what are the signs and symptoms of our illness on the left, diagnoses what ails us with an accurate, broad and even sober understanding of history and I believe offers a clear prescription on how to get well and move forward.

This is a must read slap in the face wake up call for those who think of themselves as "woke" to cut that crap out and to focus on the progress that has been made with the cooperation of the whole of society, what unites us, why we must and how to speak with people who disagree with us and why it is essential to do so in a way that displays a mature adult attitude in a democracy that true progress is maintained through open discussion, debate based on facts and not identity and by working within political institutions to win elections from bottom to top by listening, unifying and compromise based about our shared citizenship rather than through our victimhood, personal circumstances and the courts.

We will ignore his assessment at our own peril. Those coddled and sensitive members of what I call the "Regressive Left" need to understand that they are the left version of the selfishness spawned by Reagan on the Right. That is their cultural heritage and if they don't like finding out who their father is, then they have to snap out of their self-delusion and move forward into an era that can still forward their interests without the need to label every one less holy than themselves as evil.

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Thoughtful Insights for a Pragmatic American

What did you like best about this story?

Finally, someone who has the same idea in his head about the course of American polity, but says it a lot better than I.

Any additional comments?

An understandable insight of the political tilt of America now- as the result of the last 50 years of societal development. He paints a picture of the loss of a central idea or vision which unites folks, and its replacement with personal & identity politics. His view of this seems spot-on to me, but disappointed in a too short discussion of how to remedy the situation.

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Don't let the word "liberal" scare you

What did you love best about The Once and Future Liberal?

Lilla sheds light on the need for compromise, but also the need for a review of history and civics.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The "once liberal" side of the equation was very interesting. You dive into the south and the Voting Rights Act. Great content of the events from presidents during that time.

What about Charles Constant’s performance did you like?

Easy to understand and provided changes in tone when necessary.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There was so much I wanted to talk about with my friends (both dem and rep.)

Any additional comments?

One of my favorite listens in 9 books so far in 2018.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Would be a great polemic; pulls too many punches

There is a wonderful polemic in here trying to get out. Unfortunately it is held down under a bit too much hedging and qualifying and punch-pulling. This book is already short. It would be a better book if were even shorter. Lilla is too kind to his fellow liberals.

Lilla is spot-on correct in his descriptions of identity politics and its harmful effects on the country. But these depictions are nearly always preceded by fawning concessions to the achievements of liberalism. In the opinion of this reader, these concessions are not needed and not helpful.

The book contains more than a few highly quotable sentences and paragraphs, but not enough to redeem the work as a whole. The book is worth reading, but not worth buying.

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Excellent! We should be citizens first and foremost!!!

Well researched and thought out book. It walk through history and ideas in a way that help me understand how things have progressed and not progressed. I thoroughly enjoy the concept of us all being citizens together first. And getting rid of the group and identity politics. This divided us too much. My only issue would be with the book the author fails to point out that mass media is largely line with the left and liberal politics. And goes out of his way to talk about Fox news. But the book is definitely worth a read for anyone independent liberal or conservative.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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overview of political/cultural history

Where does The Once and Future Liberal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Best opportunity to expand my awareness and perspectives

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Once and Future Liberal?

The tracking of how we came to being an identity instead of being a nation of we the people

What does Charles Constant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Listening personalized the message in a coherent and understandable way

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My extreme reaction is one of reinforcing my belief that our politicians need to do the work of working together, agreeing to agree to disagree, in order to find solutions to our complex issues. Most of all we the voters need to work to put together legislative representatives to bring our citizens together for the good of all.

Any additional comments?

I wish this book could be mandatory reading for all high school young people. It’s really their futures that are at stake. As an adult, I feel it’s my responsibility to work toward a goal of affecting change by electing representatives who will be guided by our forefathers establishment of systems for the benefit of all citizens.

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required reading!

this is a manifesto for a true progressive victory. I hope that people take notice.

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Very helpful toward coherent liberal initiatives

Clear and objective hard lessons learned for why democratic and liberal initiatives and cohesion are weaker today than have been for a long time. Constructive insights into solutions.

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