Postliberalism

Postliberalism is a body of thought, drawn from conservative and religious writers, that holds liberalism, in the broad sense of a politics centered on individual choice, rights and neutral procedures, has weakened the family, religion and local community and is now unable to sustain itself. It asks for a politics built around shared goods, virtue and institutions.

Prominent works include Patrick Deneen's Why Liberalism Failed (2018), which argues that liberalism's success undermined the conditions that supported it. Others in the conversation include Adrian Vermeule, who advocates "common-good constitutionalism," Sohrab Ahmari and Oren Cass, the latter focusing on economic policy that supports work and families. The term has roots in the work of philosophers such as Alasdair MacIntyre and the British "Red Tory" and Blue Labour movements.

Postliberals and national conservatives often find common ground in being willing to use public power to promote families and communities, and are sometimes linked with national conservatism. Critics, including classical liberals and many conservatives, argue that the approach would give government too much power to impose a vision of the good, and risks authoritarianism; proponents say they favor reform within constitutional limits. The movement draws on natural law and civil society.