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

Brooks, Thom

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

Brooks, Thom

Authors

Professor Thom Brooks thom.brooks@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Contributors

C.D. Herrera
Editor

Alexandra Perry
Editor

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
Publisher URL	http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/The-Moral-Philosophy-of-Bernard-Williams1-4438-4790-9.htm