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Name of the Author: Larry Siedentop
Rightfully, liberalism is seen as an ideology that places a strong emphasis on individual liberty. As philosophers who believed in natural rights, Hobbes and Locke were first to make the case that the main purpose of government is to uphold individual rights. Man must seek safety in civil society because of the fear of a violent death, when a public body is given the necessary authority to defend natural rights. Both Hobbes and Locke offered a secular foundation for governance and rejected the concept of the king's divine right to rule. Many believe that liberalism's tenets result from the individual's desire to have control over his or her own fate and is a response against religious obedience and given status. By suggesting that the creation of the person eventually results from a fundamentally Christian perspective of the universe, Larry Siedentop presents a powerful challenge to this story. Modern liberalism is, in some ways, a logical extension of Christianity rather than a rejection of its tenets.
The beginning of Siedentop takes place in the past, more especially in Rome. He emphasises the paterfamilias and the "radically unequal social identities" that characterise the society's hierarchical structure. The father assumed a totalitarian role in the household, which was characterised by extreme inequality. The duties within the family were predetermined at birth, therefore there was no feeling of uniqueness. This system was altered by the establishment of the city-state when several family cults came together. As Siedentop points out, it should come as no surprise that the establishment of a city needed the creation of a new religion or form of worship in the form of the identification of a "hero" as the city's creator. The city had its own "protective deities," just like the family and tribe did.
In Siedentop's story, religion had a significant role in the ancient world. He criticises the commonly held but mistaken notion that the Renaissance represented a return to the values of antiquity, particularly its secularism. Siedentop emphasises that most of the impact from the ancient world fits into cultural elements such as music, art, and architecture rather than politics, echoing Machiavelli's critiques of his contemporaries in Discourses on Livy. In general, the Renaissance did not embrace the fundamentals of the old world (a purposeful nature, inequity, fixed social roles). Unknowingly, modern liberalism's embrace of secularism is "Christianity's gift." Christianity brought about a fundamentally new way of thinking. It provided man with a fresh perspective on his role in the universe since it was both universal in scope and individualised in emphasis. The idea of moral equality had a key role in this transition. According to the Christian worldview, every individual, regardless of social standing, was made in God's image and is subject to God's wrath. More than any other person, Siedentop is credited with explaining the broad consequences of this new worldview. The idea of political equality wouldn't come about for well over a thousand years, and Siedentop does a great job of summarising the key developments (and failures) along the road. The responsibilities of women significantly expanded in the first few centuries following Christ. Due to the equality of souls under Christ, husbands were required to treat their spouses equally, at least in a spiritual sense, whereas in the ancient family, husbands effectively held unlimited control over their wives and children (including life and death).
Siedentop contends that mediaeval canon law contributed to the solution and provided the framework for contemporary political thought. An example for secular rulers, the church simultaneously succeeded in establishing itself to be a sovereign authority. The church helped establish the secular world as essentially a guarantee of property ownership and peacekeeper by defining its own function as the master over spiritual things. During this period, the previously-implicit division between both the spiritual and secular became apparent. Kings were delighted to imitate the legal system that the Church established, which had a centralised administration and a hierarchical system of courts. This eventually resulted in the development of the nation-state. Siedentop discusses the philosophical and political ramifications of his argument in the epilogue. Invoking his earlier writing, he contends that a "civil war" has been raging in Europe and that it poses a threat to the United States.
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Overall, Siedentop provides a comprehensive and ambitious analysis of the rise of liberalism. There are occasionally limitations to the complexity of the argument due to the work's immense scope (which practically spans two millennia), and certain significant events and philosophers are left out of the narrative. The core of his argument, though, is strong, and liberalism has to be able to present a convincing case for itself given the ideological conflicts of the 20th century and new dangers like extreme Islamism. What gives the fundamental liberties that we cherish so much their moral standing? Do we actually embody our Creator, or are we just "stuff in motion"? Do we really genuinely believe in moral equality, or are we just acting the part? Can liberalism reassert itself in a world where freedom is dwindling? In the end, liberty must be reaffirmed by each generation, and a cogent defence (and/or growth) of liberalism must begin with a thorough comprehension of its tenets. In order to do that, Siedentop has given us a solid foundation.
BY- Rutkar Kaul
Currently an undergraduate student of University of Delhi’s Political Science program at Hindu College. He is interested in politics and current affairs. His interests lie at the nexus of Public Administration, Diplomacy. He’s also an avid cricket fan. He is into Public Speaking as well as writing pieces on International Relations.
You can directly contact him at: rutkarkaul@gmail.com
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