LETTERS TO YOUNG LIBERALS

By Dr. Johnathan Ordóñez

Liberalism is often seen as a cornerstone of Western civilization. For many decades now, governments and political systems around the world have championed values such as individual freedom, equality before the law, and the protection of human rights. Entire nations have been built under the principles of freedom and social progress. Ultimately, liberalism seeks to create a society that empowers individuals to have control over their own lives. However, considering all the events that have happened in the first quarter of the twenty-first century--for example, the attack on the Twin Towers, multiple wars in the Middle East, the economic crisis of 2008, the migration crisis in Europe, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the rise of the Islamic State, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine, etc.--the project of constructing a global civil society seems today harder than ever. The question of how humanity can move forward amidst the present and future problems has many answers, and some of them are surely wrong. To navigate of all these pressing issues, it seems crucial to understand that many of the problems that liberalism face nowadays come from liberalism itself, and they are not necessarily new. On the one hand, extreme individualism, mixed with different economic theories that put emphasis on the "selfish individual," tends to ignore our deepest need of human connections, solidarity, sense of belonging, and the creation of bonds with our community. On the other hand, identity politics and people forming political alliances based solely on religion, ethnic group, social background, or race have begun to challenge the premises of liberalism itself, including freedom of choice and freedom of speech. Technological development and social media have also contributed greatly to create a confusing political landscape worldwide. The truth is that most of us care about the future of a global civilization, and are willing to contribute, however loosely and regardless of our politics, to achieve that goal. It should be patently obvious that distrusting values such as freedom of speech, the separation of state and religion, or the protection of human rights, will do little to help us create an everlasting future for ourselves. Imagine the consequences if more people were to distrust the very foundations of our modern civilization, where scientific thinking is replaced by dogma, cooperation and peace are superseded by conflict and wars, and political and economic progress gets forever lost. The fact that half of the people worldwide are not satisfied with what we have achieved as humanity should be considered an intellectual and moral emergency. The book you are about to read represents a response to all of these problems. And while this book is intended for everyone, it has been written in the form of an anthology of letters to young liberals that I have written throughout many years. The book covers various topics, from personal experiences to abstract moral and philosophical reasoning. My objective here is to help young people navigate the complicated aspects of the human condition. This endeavor requires a revision of the status quo of our current society, together with a better rational understanding of crucial ethical questions, such as human relations, violence, free will, politics, religion, among many others. In "Letters to Young Liberals," I am committed to explore very difficult intellectual and moral questions thoroughly. Although I do not claim I possess the right answers to each one of them, at least I try to share my concerns and views out loud. I am convinced that these new generations, regardless of where they fall in the political spectrum, will find the topics I address here relevant, and therefore will all recognize here a common cause. Many books have been writing with that hope and optimism in mind. With that hope and optimism, I have written this one.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DCTYVW3X
• ISBN13: 9798335471275
• Release Date: August 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 150 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"