HEADLINE: Re-evaluating Liberalism: Cass Sunstein's Defense and Critiques of its Manifest Failings GUEST NAME: Peter Berkowitz SUMMARY: Peter Berkowitz analyzes Cass Sunstein's defense of liberalism "under siege," highlighting criticisms from both the ne
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2025
⏱️ 12 minutes
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Summary
HEADLINE: Re-evaluating Liberalism: Cass Sunstein's Defense and Critiques of its Manifest Failings
GUEST NAME: Peter Berkowitz
SUMMARY: Peter Berkowitz analyzes Cass Sunstein's defense of liberalism "under siege," highlighting criticisms from both the new right and the woke left, and arguing that liberalism's own principles, when taken to extremes, contribute to its current pressures. Peter Berkowitz reviews Cass Sunstein's book On Liberalism: In Defense of Freedom, where Sunstein argues liberalism is "under siege" from criticisms on the right (permissiveness, criminality) and left (too weak on inequality, racism). Berkowitz suggests Sunstein mischaracterizes liberalism by overemphasizing "experiments of living" over equal rights, and neglects how liberalism's vices contribute to its challenges.
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| 0:00.0 | Building a coffee business? |
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| 0:30.0 | This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor. |
| 0:37.2 | I welcome my colleague Peter Berkowitz of the Hoover Institution, writing his column at Real Clear Politics about a new book. |
| 0:39.6 | I intend to look at very carefully by a esteemed professor at Harvard Law School, Cass Sunstein. |
| 0:47.6 | The book's entitled On Liberalism in Defense of Freedom. |
| 0:53.6 | Peter, a very good evening to you. |
| 0:55.3 | Professor Sunstein is very well known throughout the academic world, |
| 0:59.0 | but as a popular author, he has his moments, |
| 1:02.8 | and this would certainly be one of them |
| 1:04.5 | for the large number of people who believe democracy is at risk |
| 1:08.9 | that liberalism is being shoved aside by |
| 1:14.3 | personalities now in the Trump administration, and that I will take the metaphor that the |
| 1:21.2 | professor uses for himself. He's under siege. When did this happen, Peter? I was, five minutes |
| 1:27.2 | ago, Professor Sunstein was the bell |
... |
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