![]() ![]() ![]() In 1968, liberal democracies seemed to be an endangered species, and even within their own borders they were rocked by riots, assassinations, terrorist attacks and fierce ideological battles. The main challenge liberalism faces today comes not from fascism or communism but from the laboratories If you think liberalism is in trouble now, just remember how much worse things were in 1918, 1938 or 1968. Liberalism has already survived three big crises – the first world war, the fascist challenge in the 1930s, and the communist challenge in the 1950s-70s. Indeed, it is the only social order that allows people to question even its own foundations. ![]() It can sustain criticism better than any other social order. Liberalism’s great advantage over other ideologies is that it is flexible and undogmatic. I eventually chose free discussion over self-censorship, thanks to my belief both in the strength of liberal democracy and in the necessity to revamp it. Due to the spread of such regimes, it is becoming increasingly dangerous to think critically about the future of our species. ![]() So should I speak my mind openly, risking that my words could be taken out of context and used by demagogues and autocrats to further attack the liberal order? Or should I censor myself? It is a mark of illiberal regimes that they make free speech more difficult even outside their borders. ![]()
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