From Scepticism to Liberalism? Bernard Williams, the Foundations of Liberalism and Political Realism.
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Authors
Sagar, Paul
Abstract
Bernard Williams was an ethical sceptic, but he was also a proponent of liberalism. To what extent can one finally be both? This article explores this question through a particular emphasis on Williams, but seeks to draw wider lessons regarding what ethical scepticism should and should not amount to. It shows how ethical scepticism can be reconciled with a commitment to what Williams, following Judith Shklar, called ‘the liberalism of fear’, which is revealed as an ecumenical outlook for different stripes of ethical sceptic. The article concludes by drawing some lessons for the recent ‘realist’ turn in political theory.
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Keywords
Bernard Williams, scepticism, liberalism, liberalism of fear, political realism
Journal Title
Political Studies
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0032-3217
1467-9248
1467-9248
Volume Title
64
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
Research for this article was undertaken while I was the recipient of an Arts and Humanities Research Council PhD studentship at the University of Cambridge, and was later supported by the Cambridge Faculty of History’s Prince Consort and Thirlwall fund.