Rethinking the "end of history"

Podcast Summary

• Liberal democracy facing crisis with decline in US and India, rise of anti-democratic powers: Political thinker Francis Fukuyama warns of a liberal democracy crisis, with the US and India experiencing challenges and the rise of Russia and China adding stress

  According to Francis Fukuyama, liberal democracy, a political system that prioritizes individual rights and protection from the state, is currently facing a significant crisis. Fukuyama, a renowned political thinker, argues that liberal democracy has been in decline for the past 16 years, with countries like the United States and India experiencing challenges. The rise of anti-liberal and anti-democratic powers like Russia and China further adds to the stresses on democracy. In the US specifically, Fukuyama sees a real crisis situation that could lead to a severe constitutional confrontation in 2024. It's important to note that Fukuyama distinguishes between the democratic and liberal parts of liberal democracy. The democratic part refers to institutions like free and fair multiparty elections, while the liberal part emphasizes individual rights and protection from the state. Fukuyama's new book, "Liberalism and Its Discontents," offers a defense and critique of liberalism, leaving it unclear if he still believes liberal democracy won the war of ideas 30 years ago.

• The Core of Liberal Democracy: Legal Constraints on Power: Liberal democracy ensures individual rights through legal constraints, fostering peace and diversity, but faces criticisms for inequality, lack of shared values, and excessive individualism.

  Liberal democracy's core lies in the legal constraints on power that ensure individual rights are protected and respected, enabling societies to peacefully coexist despite diversity. The promise of liberalism includes tolerance, human autonomy, and economic prosperity. However, criticisms include inequality, lack of shared moral values, and the potential destruction of community due to excessive individualism. Despite these challenges, liberal societies have historically reconciled well with various human communities. Whether we've reached a tipping point regarding liberalism's inability to provide a common moral horizon is uncertain.

• Maintaining a Common Shared Core in Liberal Societies: Liberal societies need to balance a strong common shared core with inclusivity and accessibility to prevent sociopathic behavior and religious extremism while preserving the universalism of liberalism.

  Modern liberal societies have a vast civil sector where individuals voluntarily come together for common purposes, but lack a single religious or rule-bound framework. While there's a risk of privatization of concern, the inherent human need for sociability prevails. Liberal societies do have their unique cultures, which include tolerance, public spirit, and shared history or language. The challenge is to maintain a tolerant and accessible common moral core, as the assumption of a universal moral core underlying liberalism is not guaranteed. The universalism of liberalism, which allows communication and relation with others regardless of differences, is an attractive proposition. However, the potential risks of sociopathic behavior or religious extremism cannot be ignored. Ultimately, the success of a liberal society depends on striking a balance between maintaining a strong enough common shared core and ensuring its inclusivity and accessibility.

• Liberal society's peace and security may not be enough: People's deeper metaphysical needs can lead to discontent and instability in a peaceful society, potentially resulting in out-of-control resentments and anger.

  Liberalism, while providing peace and security, may not be enough to fulfill human beings' deeper metaphysical needs. Over time, people may grow complacent and disenchanted with a liberal society that takes peace and prosperity for granted. This boredom or pent-up idealism can lead to instability and a desire for something more, potentially resulting in out-of-control resentments and anger. The speaker argues that living in a peaceful and secure society can make it difficult to understand the seriousness of violations of individual rights and freedoms that occur in other parts of the world. Ultimately, people have a natural desire to struggle for their ideals and seek respect, and if this isn't fulfilled, they may instead struggle against justice and peace.

• Mint Mobile's online sales strategy leads to affordable wireless plans: Online sales enable Mint Mobile to offer affordable wireless plans by cutting costs and passing savings to customers, resulting in a $15/month unlimited plan.

  Mint Mobile offers affordable wireless plans by selling services only online, allowing them to cut costs and pass savings to customers. This results in a 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month. Meanwhile, in society, there's a growing challenge of plurality and identity, with liberal societies facing internal divisions that threaten their own mechanisms. This polarization has led to the rejection of liberal premises on both sides, resulting in new divisions that can even be spawned by the liberalism enjoyed in the first place. This human tendency towards groupishness and solidarity to ingroups and hatred towards outgroups is a powerful force, especially in a liberal society where people have the freedom to believe and associate with whoever they want. Historical examples, such as the Byzantine Empire's blues and greens, illustrate this tendency towards division and conflict.

• Liberalism and managing diversity in large societies: Liberalism struggles to mitigate conflicts in large, diverse societies. Institutions like federalism help manage diversity and violence. Deep-rooted diversity challenges liberalism. Linking liberalism with democracy and social protections creates a sustainable society.

  Liberalism, while effective in accommodating diversity in smaller and homogeneous communities, struggles to mitigate conflicts in larger and more diverse societies. The size and diversity of a political community are separate issues. Historical examples, such as the United States prior to the Civil War, demonstrate that large and diverse societies can experience significant conflict, even over seemingly fundamental issues. However, institutions like federalism can help manage diversity and violence in large societies. The challenge lies in dealing with forms of diversity that run deep and are difficult for liberalism to accommodate. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of linking liberalism with democracy and social protections to create a sustainable and successful liberal society. The failure to do so can lead to the concentration of wealth and power, political corruption, and the inability to mitigate the excesses of a market society. In essence, liberalism must be coupled with a more egalitarian political order to survive.

• The Complex Relationship Between Liberalism and Neoliberalism: While liberalism and neoliberalism share similarities, neoliberalism's extreme forms can lead to societal instability and inequality. Redistribution and social protection are necessary, but financial implications must be considered.

  The relationship between liberalism and neoliberalism is complex. While some argue that neoliberalism is a cancerous outgrowth of liberalism, leading to political instability and inequality, others suggest that neoliberalism may be the natural outcome of the internal logic of liberalism. Historical experience shows that extreme forms of liberalism without social protection or redistribution can lead to societal unrest and the creation of a more robust state. However, the financial crisis of 2008, a direct result of neoliberal policies, did not lead to a significant move towards a more redistributive state due to the diversion of anger into cultural complaints. The speaker acknowledges the need for redistribution and universal healthcare but cautions against the financial implications of implementing such policies and the importance of careful consideration.

• The main threat to American democracy is from the right: Fukuyama argues that the Republican Party's rejection of democratic rules poses the greatest danger to US democracy, and that liberalism can be effective when combined with other institutions, but its implementation has been flawed recently.

  While there are valid criticisms of the current state of liberalism, the main threat to American democracy comes from the right, specifically efforts by Republicans to undermine the rules of the democratic process. Fukuyama believes that the American state needs to be reformed to effectively implement new programs, and that taxes could be raised to address income inequality without significantly hindering innovation. He also acknowledges that there have been extremes pushed on both sides of the political spectrum, but believes that the current crisis lies primarily with the Republican Party's rejection of the democratic game. It's important to note that Fukuyama sees liberalism as a successful political ideology when combined with other institutions, but believes that its implementation has been flawed in recent years.

• Identity politics and liberalism: Extremes can distort universal human equality: In the digital age, the importance of universal human equality and factual truth must be recognized and addressed to prevent the collapse of liberal norms and institutions.

  Identity politics and liberalism, when taken to extremes, can lead to a deformation of the liberal principle of universal human equality. The age of liberalism, as we know it, may be dead due to the challenges of establishing a hierarchy of factual truth and the ease of bypassing gatekeepers in the digital age. However, it's important to note that not all gatekeepers are in danger of collapsing, and there are still norms and institutions in place that ensure the validity of evidence and information. The key is to recognize the importance of universal human equality and factual truth, and to work towards addressing the challenges posed by technology and the proliferation of misinformation. Ultimately, it's crucial to strive for a society where individuals can come to a convergence on baseline reality and where fundamental human rights are upheld.

• The importance of holding on to facts and legacy institutions despite challenges: Despite the threats of epistemic tribalism and disinformation, it's crucial to maintain trust in facts and legacy institutions as alternatives are detrimental. The underlying structures of society are not egalitarian or meritocratic, leading to disenchantment, but a political moment may come for reform.

  Despite the challenges of epistemic tribalism and disinformation, it's crucial for society to hold on to the cognitive points of support provided by legacy institutions and facts, as the alternatives are much worse. The speaker acknowledges the damage to these institutions but argues that we don't have a choice but to hang on to them, as the underlying legal and social structures are not egalitarian or meritocratic, leading to disenchantment with the system. The speaker also expresses disappointment in the fact that many people can be swayed by views amplified by modern technology, regardless of their quality. This challenge to liberal democracy's belief in human rationality is significant, but the speaker remains hopeful that a political moment will come when people will take up the challenge to fix the institutions, as seen in the past during times of crisis like the Great Depression.

• The disconnect between educated elites and the rest of the population: Elites need to understand why large segments of the population feel disconnected and disenfranchised, leading them to vote against their own interests. Liberal democracy must evolve and adapt to address its failures and prevent the excesses of its virtues from becoming pathological.

  The current political climate, as exemplified by the election of Donald Trump, raises questions about the assumption that higher education leads to a more sustainable liberal society. The speakers express concern that a deep introspection is needed among elites to understand why large segments of the population feel disconnected and disenfranchised, leading them to vote against their own interests. They argue that the divide between urban, cosmopolitan, well-educated people and those who don't share these characteristics has become a major source of misunderstanding and tension in politics. The speakers also emphasize the importance of moderation and the need for a course correction within liberalism to prevent the excesses of its virtues from becoming pathological. They acknowledge that liberal democracy faces challenges from alternative systems, such as the Chinese model, and express hope that it will continue to evolve and adapt to address its failures.

• The Importance of Defending Liberal Democracy: Fukuyama emphasizes the need to address challenges and improve liberal democracy to maintain its value and relevance in today's world.

  Key takeaway from this conversation with Francis Fukuyama is the importance of defending liberal democracy in today's world. Fukuyama argues that liberalism is still the foundation for a better society, despite its challenges and discontents. He emphasizes the need to address these issues and improve liberal democracy in order to maintain its value and relevance. If you enjoyed this conversation, please share it with others and leave a review. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for future guests and topics. Join us again on Thursday for a new episode of Vox Conversations.