The Turn Back from the Turn Inward: Political Philosophy to Psychology, Identity Politics, Affirmative Action, and Back Again

This paper digests some broad intellectual, social, and cultural trends over the last 100 years and discusses their effect on the promotion of the political theory broadly known as “liberalism.” While some of these trends have had a positive effect, I contend that they have mostly caused liberalism to turn in on itself, and this has made liberalism especially susceptible to attacks from the right. The turn inward has caused liberalism to become far too insular and utopian, distancing itself from the practical; to become far too close-minded, depriving itself of the intellectual energy and new ideas that it needs to move forward; to become far too factionalized, creating intellectual competition rather than intellectual cross-fertilization; and to become far too timid, alienating a large portion of its natural supporters by prizing caution and decorum over decisive action and not standing up sufficiently for its fundamental principles. As a result, liberalism is struggling today, and it cannot continue to be the operating system of a successful self-perpetuating pluralistic society unless it is prepared to turn outward once again. After describing the several facets of the turn inward was and what motivated these, I shall describe how this contributed to the rise of identity politics and an associated and almost exclusive focus on remedial powers of affirmative action. I shall argue that while fully morally justified as a deontological matter, this approach has proved more counterproductive than helpful. Finally, I shall describe some alternative remedial approaches that are likely to have better overall effects and suggest how liberalism might refocus its political energy outward to make its appeal more apparent again.