On Liberalism

“A stirring intellectual defense of liberalism from its critics across the political spectrum.”
—Politico

“Sunstein provides a full-throated defense of liberalism, which he defines broadly as the Enlightenment commitments to human freedom, pluralism, fairness, representative government, and the rule of law… In the ongoing ideological debates between liberalism and its critics, Sunstein masterfully stakes out and defends the tradition’s high ground, a vision of liberal society equipped with a living constitution that protects the rights and dignity of individuals and the free play of ideas.”
—Foreign Affairs

“Sunstein has written a new book, called On Liberalism, which is a defense of the idea of liberalism at a time when Sunstein believes it is under threat from both the right and the left. The book barely mentions Donald Trump or contemporary politics, however, and instead provides a defense of a general liberal belief system, which Sunstein breaks down into eighty-five features. Sunstein’s conception of liberalism is quite capacious; it includes New Deal liberals and so-called classical liberals, including Friedrich von Hayek and Robert Nozick, as well as politicians such as Ronald Reagan.”
—The New Yorker

“The words of Sunstein—a specialist in constitutional law, administrative law, and behavioural economics who is one of the most widely cited legal scholars and advised Presidents Obama and Biden—will be of high interest to readers across the political spectrum…This book is highly recommended for readers to better understand the philosophical ideals that compete in the United States.”
—Library Journal

“Cass Sunstein has written what may be the most lucid and unembarrassed defense of liberalism in recent memory. On Liberalism is at once a philosophical meditation, a political testament, and a quiet act of intellectual recovery. In an age when the word ‘liberal’ is either wielded as an accusation or whispered with apology, Sunstein offers something rare: a confident, humane, and historically informed affirmation that liberalism remains the best moral and political framework we have.”
—The Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics