October 1, 2025Open Access

The retrieval of liberal socialism

Key Points

Liberal principles require high material and social equality, as argued by McManus.
The analysis includes influential liberal socialists like Mary Wollstonecraft and John Rawls.
The book critiques the traditional view that liberalism opposes socialism and individualism.
It provides a critical genealogy, although it faces some methodological limitations.

Abstract

Liberalism has long been seen as at odds with socialism, the former deeming the latter to be a creed inherently hostile to freedom. This view is the target of Matthew McManus's stimulating and timely new book, The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism . The book's central, compelling claim is that liberal principles can only be fully realised in a society with the high degree of material and social equality offered by socialism. McManus explores this theme with a critical genealogy of ‘liberal socialists’, from Mary Wollstonecraft to John Rawls to Charles Mills, drawing inspiration from the critic of ‘possessive individualism’, C.B. Macpherson. The result is an illuminating study, notwithstanding some methodological and normative limitations.

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Cite This Study

Christine Sypnowich (Mon,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68dd91c7fe798ba2fc498349 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/14748851251380542

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