A New Voice For The Liberal Tradition

For centuries the liberal tradition has offered the best hope for material prosperity and human flourishing. Recently, though, the foundations of that prosperity have come under threat. Between the twin terrors of leftist daydreams and rightist nightmares, liberal democracy is increasingly vulnerable and many liberals themselves have lost heart. The Vital Center aims to defend and explore the principles of the classical liberal tradition against cynics and ideologues, clearing away the rhetoric that has been foisted upon liberal theory to better appreciate its original principles while confronting their defects. In so doing, we expose the liberal tradition in its unfiltered form: pragmatic, moderate, constitutionalist, and ardently dedicated to the balancing of liberty, order, and equality. This sort of liberalism unifies rather than divides, brings hope rather than admonishment, and appeals to a wide array of people from many walks of life.

A publication seeking to defend the evaporating vital center requires a frank admission of the problems embedded within liberalism. Political radicalism, social isolation, and the decay of moral virtue are threatening the free world as autocratic challengers rise from within and without. Unlike some liberals, we think that these problems stem, in part, from defects in liberalism itself. We take seriously the contemporary objections to liberalism from the left and the right, and our essays will explore these challenges thoroughly. Our journal investigates why and how a liberal age has culminated in dysfunction and despair, but we depart from post-liberals in that we aim to rescue, restore, and dignify the liberal project rather than abandon it.

As a publication, we will print a wide range of views and perspectives. If liberalism has an essence, it is that human beings will always differ on what constitutes a good life, so their existence must be embedded within a system that allows cooperation and discourse. Our job, therefore, is to offer a place where serious dialogue over a host of issues can thrive from within the pluralistic confines of the liberal center.

This is not to say that The Vital Center has no firm principles. Though broad in outlook, we do adhere to core values that embody our philosophy:

First, we believe that a liberal society cannot survive without a strong and vibrant culture. Liberalism provides space for human flourishing, but it does not constitute that flourishing. Because of this, we do not conceive of The Vital Center as a purely political endeavor. Instead, we will publish perspectives on history, philosophy, religion, art, music, and the humanities broadly understood. As we move forward, we hope to start publishing original works of art themselves. In so doing, we hope to show the important role that culture plays in creating and sustaining a liberal society. 

Second, we believe the structure of constitutional democracy perpetuates a liberal society. Though many so-called “enlightened despots” have sought to advance the cause of liberalism through sheer force, such methods inevitably corrode the ends of liberal government. Freedom can only endure in a nation where the government is restrained by powerful legal codes and norms and where the individual is not only protected but empowered. Such a system requires avenues for the popular will to be voiced.

Third, liberalism requires many forms of freedom. It is easy to think of freedom in monochromatic terms, but in truth, few other words have such complicated and variegated definitions. The Vital Center seeks to appreciate and promote them all, whether that means freedom from political tyranny, economic squalor, religious subjugation, or any other form of oppression. Precisely how such liberty is to be promulgated is a question that many liberals will disagree about. Far from harming liberalism, such debates about the meaning of freedom enhance its richness. Bringing to the tradition a critical strength necessary to defend itself.

Fourth, we believe that a free society requires a prudent ethos to accompany the acceptance of change. Liberalism is not just a set of ideas but a style of discourse that endorses civility, moderation, openness, curiosity, and good humor. Simply put, we are not revolutionaries. Rather, to quote the historian Daniel Boorstin, “We must refuse to become crusaders for liberalism, in order to remain liberals.” Thus, the solutions we offer in this publication strive for prudence and restraint wherever possible.

Fifth, we advocate a rejuvenation of the spirit of republicanism to correct the excesses of liberalism in recent years. A liberal society begins but cannot end with the defense of individual rights -the duties of man and citizen, the shared responsibility to foster sound communities, and intermediary institutions must ameliorate the individualistic excesses of contemporary liberalism. The precise manifestation of such correctives, their shape and color in religious, historical, philosophical, and artistic representations will be of primary concern in the essays housed in our journal.

This publication weighs anchor at a dark time for liberal democracy. From the extremes of the political spectrum emerges the belief that the liberal project has failed, leaving nationalist autocracy or the paternalistic state as the only remedies. At home and abroad there are those who detest liberalism for its vices while failing to adequately cherish its virtues. These detractors believe that liberalism has robbed the modern world of meaning. We hope to show that this does not have to be the case – that liberalism can provide a source of moral direction that so many feel is missing from contemporary life. In short, by adapting, debating, refining, and reviving liberalism we hope to promote the very best of humanity.