John N. Gray

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John N. Gray : biography

17 April 1948 –

Agonistic liberalism

The term agonistic liberalism appears in John Gray’s book Isaiah Berlin from 1995. Gray uses this phrase to describe what he believes is Berlin’s theory of politics, namely his support for both value pluralism and liberalism.

More generally, agonistic liberalism could be used to describe any kind of liberalism which claims that its own value commitments do not form a complete vision of politics and society, and that one instead needs to look for what Berlin calls an "uneasy equilibrium" between competing values. Under Gray’s understanding, many contemporary liberal theorists would fall in this category, for instance John Rawls and Karl Popper.

Agonistic liberalism is an alternative to Berlin’s theory of value pluralism and liberalism. While Berlin claimed equal validity for conflicting liberal views, agonistic liberalism holds that over time solutions may be found that determines which values are correct.Talisse, Robert B. "Liberalism, Pluralism, and Political Justification", THE HARVARD REVIEW OF PHILOSOPHY vol.XIII no.2 2005, p. 60

Agonistic liberalism is the theory that conflict rather than discussion is the basis of social change.Martin, James. "Piero Gobetti’s agonistic liberalism". History of European Ideas Volume 32, Issue 2, June 2006, Pages 205-222

Criticism

Gray’s Straw Dogs has been criticised by Terry Eagleton. Danny Postel also took issue with Straw Dogs. Postel stated Gray’s claim that environmental destruction was the result of humanity’s flawed nature, would be "welcome news to the captains of industry and the architects of the global economy; the ecological devastation they leave in their wake, according to Gray, has nothing to do with their exploits." Danny Postel, "". The Nation, December 22nd, 2003. Retrieved April 25th, 2013. Postel also claimed that too much of Straw Dogs rested on "blanket assertion", and criticised Gray’s use of the term "plague of people" as an outdated " neo-Malthusian persiflage about overpopulation". Postel strongly condemned Gray for outlining "complete political passivity. There is no point whatsoever in our attempting to make the world a less cruel or more livable place."

Books about Gray

  • Horton, John and Glen Newey, eds. The Political Theory of John Gray. London: Routledge, 2007. ISBN 0-415-36647-X.

Quotations