Listen "Liberty and Justice For Who?"
Episode Synopsis
More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/liberty-and-justice-who.
Many democracies are founded on the ideals of 18th- and 19th-Century British Liberalism: the idea that human beings deserve the right to self-government because we are born free, equal, and capable of rationality. Yet Liberalism was used to justify colonialism, which deprived people around the world of the right to govern themselves. How could a political philosophy that claims to be pro-freedom be used to take freedom away from so many people? Was Liberalism misunderstood, or were its moral flaws built-in from the beginning? How can we design a political philosophy that liberates everyone, not just the citizens of a few wealthy and powerful nations? Josh and Ray talk liberally with Uday Singh Mehta from the CUNY Graduate Center, author of "Liberalism and Empire: A Study in Nineteenth-Century British Liberal Thought," for an episode generously sponsored by the Stanford Global Studies program.
Many democracies are founded on the ideals of 18th- and 19th-Century British Liberalism: the idea that human beings deserve the right to self-government because we are born free, equal, and capable of rationality. Yet Liberalism was used to justify colonialism, which deprived people around the world of the right to govern themselves. How could a political philosophy that claims to be pro-freedom be used to take freedom away from so many people? Was Liberalism misunderstood, or were its moral flaws built-in from the beginning? How can we design a political philosophy that liberates everyone, not just the citizens of a few wealthy and powerful nations? Josh and Ray talk liberally with Uday Singh Mehta from the CUNY Graduate Center, author of "Liberalism and Empire: A Study in Nineteenth-Century British Liberal Thought," for an episode generously sponsored by the Stanford Global Studies program.
More episodes of the podcast Select Episodes
This Week: In Awe of Wonder
19/10/2025
Elisabeth of Bohemia
04/10/2025
Hildegard von Bingen
13/09/2025
Hypatia of Alexandria
16/08/2025
Philippa Foot
05/06/2025
Mary Midgley
08/05/2025
Iris Murdoch
11/04/2025
Judith Jarvis Thomson
08/03/2025
Elizabeth Anscombe
19/12/2024
Crisis and Creativity in Mayan Mythology
14/12/2024
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.