Book · 2018 · Political Science
Why Liberalism Failed
- mentions
- 7
- people
- 6
- podcasts
- 6
- episodes
- 6
- recommendation
- 1
His first book that came out that was actually kind of a huge deal to the point that Barack Obama even recommended it in his books of the summer the year that it came out was literally called Why Liberalism Failed.
The best things said about it
What I'm more sympathetic to is this idea that Patrick Deneen's argument of Why Liberalism Failed, which is basically that it becomes a victim of its own success.
He's best known for writing a widely read book called Why Liberalism Failed. It was published in 2018, not by a commercial publisher, but by Yale University Press.
Stephen Dubner Freakonomics Radio · Aug 2025 It continues to be as my friend Patrick Deneen argues that wonderful book Why Liberalism Failed.
Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
6 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick J. Deneen is a 2018 critique arguing that modern liberalism has ultimately created a society of isolated, atomized individuals and become a victim of its own success. On Modern Wisdom, Michael Knowles recommended the book as a vital conservative text, noting the thesis that society lost its way somewhere along the historical path. Stephen Dubner introduced Deneen on Freakonomics Radio, highlighting that the widely read volume was published by Yale University Press rather than a commercial house. On The Ezra Klein Show, Christine Emba discussed the book's initial massive impact, mentioning that former President Barack Obama famously included it on his summer reading list the year it was published. Additional discussions featured guests like Sohrab Ahmari on Timcast IRL and Erik Torenberg on The Realignment, both of whom utilized Deneen's arguments to analyze the failures of hyper-individualism and state-market dynamics. These podcast discussions consistently reflected on the book's deep critique of contemporary political philosophy and its societal consequences.
Every mention
Michael Knowles Patrick Deneen, Why Liberalism Failed. 2
“And so, one does wonder, and this this thesis has has been advanced in recent years by people like Patrick Deneen in Why Liberalism Failed and and other writers and thinkers, too, that that something went wrong somewhere along the way. We somehow lost the thread somewhere along the way.”
“Patrick Deneen, Why Liberalism Failed.”
Christine Emba and actually his first book that came out that was actually kind of a huge deal to the point that Barack Ob… 1
“and actually his first book that came out that was actually kind of a huge deal to the point that Barack Obama even recommended it in his books of the summer the year that it came out was literally called why liberalism failed”
Clay Routledge u know like catholic traditionalists and i he wrote that book why liberalism failed and you know i'm not 1
“u know like catholic traditionalists and i he wrote that book why liberalism failed and you know i'm not”
Erik Torenberg what i'm more sympathetic to is this idea that patrick dineen's argument of why liberalism fails which is b… 1
“what i'm more sympathetic to is this idea that patrick dineen's argument of why liberalism fails which is basically that it becomes a victim of its own success”
Sohrab Ahmari and it continues to be as my friend patrick deneen argues that wonderful book why liberalism failed it's no… 1
“and it continues to be as my friend patrick deneen argues that wonderful book why liberalism failed it's not the case that it's we we face a battle between individualism and statism or attention between those two”
Stephen Dubner He's best known for writing a widely read book called Why Liberalism Failed. It was published in 2018, not… 1
“He's best known for writing a widely read book called Why Liberalism Failed. It was published in 2018, not by a commercial publisher, but by Yale University Press.”
