Freedom for All

Alex Zakaras is professor of political science at the University of Vermont. He is the author of The Roots of American Individualism and Individuality and Mass Democracy and is coeditor of J. S. Mill’s Political Thought. He lives in Burlington, VT.

“At a time when liberalism is attacked from all sides, Freedom for All provides a powerful and necessary defense. Zakaras’s prose is as beautiful as his argument is rigorous, offering a ‘radical liberalism’ that recasts freedom as a tangible, democratic project. An indispensable book for our moment.”—Eric Beerbohm, author of In Our Name: The Ethics of Democracy“Too often, those who seek a radical stance against economic exploitation and other injustices view liberalism as their enemy. But as Alex Zakaras demonstrates in this masterful and original work of political theory, liberalism, when fully understood, is itself a radical doctrine committed to challenging those fundamental injustices, including racial inequality and economic oppression. This compelling defense of liberalism is a necessary corrective, offering a hopeful vision for the future.”—Corey Brettschneider, Brown University, author of The Presidents and the People“In this bold and exciting book, Alex Zakaras defends a liberalism that overcomes elitism and inequality on a hot planet, in the name of a dynamic and innovative society of free citizens. Freedom for All is the bracing and stirring manifesto we need against those who blame liberalism for all of our ills, as well as those who respond by concealing its radicalism. Brilliant.”—Samuel Moyn, author of Liberalism against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times“Alex Zakaras has written a powerful, clear, and lively argument that the tradition of radical liberalism is our best intellectual and political resource in this time of crisis. Where critics often see liberalism as a complacent, difference-splitting philosophy or a mask for power, Zakaras shows us a living tradition that is both visionary and practical.”—Jedediah Purdy, author of Two Cheers for Politics and After Nature