Prof. Fukuyama’s latest little
book (less than 200 pages) is, as always, both educative and thought-
provoking. Clarity of thought and expression are rarely found together in works
about political philosophy/ideology but Fukuyama manages both with consummate
ease.
The author works towards defining an ideal by choosing and defining
Liberalism, elaborating the justifications for this particular political point
of view, its relationship with democracy, its excesses and the course
corrections necessary to build a progressive and just society under its aegis.
The author argues that Liberalism is founded on the basic notions of
human dignity, equality and autonomy which in turn require rights to be vested
primarily in individuals, not in groups and be enforceable under laws in a
justice system that is itself autonomous.
This approach to politics emphasizes
individual freedoms-- of speech, transactions, faith amongst many others. A
focus on individual autonomy necessarily implies limitations of the powers of
the state by law and enforcement of such constraints by institutions that
protect that autonomy- courts, bureaucracy and media.
Liberalism so defined is justified on practical , moral and economic
grounds. Practically, it is the best way of ensuring peaceful and progressive
management of diversity; morally, the dignity of the individual human being is
a fundamental human imperative and economically, liberalism has given the human
race remarkable returns in terms of technological change, growth and
development. At least, so goes the argument.
Liberalism and democracy are related but distinct. Democracy may be
defined as ‘rule by the people’ as ‘institutionalized in free and fair
multiparty elections’ based on universal adult suffrage. Liberal values and
institutions reinforce democracy and an attack on these values is usually
followed by one on democracy too-the spirit if not always the letter. Putin’s
Russia is just one of several modern examples of this truism.
The ‘discontents’ with Liberalism arise due to unwarranted and
undesirable extensions of the Liberal ideology. Particularly delightful, for a
one who suffered neoclassical notions of economics being force-fed into one’s
ignorant mind a long time ago, is Fukuyama’s critique of the free- market
religion built on the foundations of ‘physics envy’( the compulsion to imitate
the mathematical elegance of physics) and resulting in wildly unrealistic
assumptions about economic behavior and slick models wholly inapplicable to
real life.
Another threat to Liberal doctrine arises from Liberalism’s own
creation-the technological revolution of the late 20th century- the Internet
and all that it brought along with it. Not only does new tech empower authoritarian
states but it has also concentrated undue power to control the dissemination of
information in the hands of a few giant corporations. Since, in social media,
there is no vetting, peer review or democratic deliberation every voice has
equal weight and the dissemination of false and weaponized information is a
major growth industry. Echo chambers are created and individuals are targeted with information that feeds their personal
predilections as displayed on social media. People thus bask in the reassuring
comfort of information that reinforces their personal idiosyncrasies, oblivious
of alternative points of view, validated data and the rest of the world around
them. Information flows are controlled and manipulated and so are minds.
The problem with information technology giants and their power is real
and clearly highlighted, but solutions do not appear to be readily available.
Fukuyama’s book defines an ideal and justifies it but there is no clear
path defined to get to it, and their lies the rub. How does a society achieve
the ideal from a very suboptimal real? If human beings are as greedy, power
hungry, intolerant and violence prone as history has established, just how do
we change it?
It is perhaps unfair to expect to find all answers in one slim book but
at least the problem and the ideal are clearly defined by Prof Fukuyama. And
that makes the book a very interesting read.
Happy reading
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