From one of the most internationally admired political thinkers, a controversial polemic within the failures of identity politics and what comes next for the left – in the us and beyond.

Following the shocking results of the US election of 2016, public intellectuals across the globe provided theories and explanations, but few had been met with such vitriol, panic, and question as Tag Lilla’s. The Once and Long term Liberal is a passionate plea to liberals to carefully turn through the divisive politics of identity and about The Once and Future Liberal: After Identification Politics create a vision into the future that may persuade all residents that they share a common future.

Driven with a sincere desire to safeguard society’s most vulnerable, the left provides unwittingly balkanized the electorate, inspired self-absorption instead of solidarity, and invested its energies in social movements rather than party politics. Identity-focused individualism provides insidiously conspired with amoral financial individualism to form an electorate with little sense of the shared future and near-contempt for the thought of the common good.

This is the time to re-build a sense of common feeling and purpose, and a sense of duty one to the other. A fiercely argued, essential book, enlivened by acerbic wit and erudition, The Once and Long term Liberal is essential listening for our instances.