Description
Book SynopsisWilliams examines the colonial and anti-colonial arguments of Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, and L.T. Hobhouse. He reveals some of the central ambiguities that characterise the ways that liberal thought has dealt with the reality of an illiberal world.
Trade Review"Progress, Pluralism, and Politics reconstructs a significantly more intricate story of liberalism than what is typically told. The subtlety of Williams' analysis, and his willingness to provide a nuanced account of both the liberal tradition and the individual authors that he considers in his book, are really appreciated." Brian Schmidt, Carleton University
"Progress, Pluralism, and Politics makes a timely contribution to the recent debates on liberalism's historical liaisons with imperialism. David Williams insightfully reconstructs the philosophical aporias that liberal anticolonialism has found difficult to avoid and even more difficult to resolve." Onur Ulas Ince, Singapore Management University and author of Colonial Capitalism and the Dilemmas of Liberalism
