Bernard Williams, republicanism, and the liberalism of fear : problems and prospects

Brooks, Thom

Abstract

Bernard Williams speaks approvingly of “the liberalism of fear” (2005). The liberalism of fear is an idea first found in the writings of Judith Shklar (1989). This chapter offers a brief presentation of what is the liberalism of fear and focusses on why Williams finds this idea attractive. My argument will be that the liberalism of fear has a close affinity with the theory of republicanism, challenging the distinctiveness of the liberalism of fear. Furthermore, I will argue that republicanism represents a more compelling political philosophy more generally.

Citation

Brooks, T. (2013). Bernard Williams, republicanism, and the liberalism of fear : problems and prospects. In C. Herrera, & A. Perry (Eds.), The moral philosophy of Bernard Williams (107-113). Cambridge Scholars

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2013
• Deposit Date: Aug 20, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 27, 2013
• Pages: 107-113
• Series Title: Studies in theoretical and applied ethics
• Book Title: The moral philosophy of Bernard Williams.
• Chapter Number: 9
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1681269
• Publisher URL: http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/The-Moral-Philosophy-of-Bernard-Williams1-4438-4790-9.htm