Why the Liberal Narrative Is ‘Collapsing’
Historian Yuval Noah Harari discusses the decline of the liberal narrative in contemporary society. He compares it to historical ideologies like fascism and communism, emphasizing that while liberalism promotes cooperation, it is currently struggling to maintain its relevance. Harari warns that without proper maintenance, the systems supporting liberalism may eventually collapse.
- ▪Yuval Noah Harari explores the dominant narratives of fascism, communism, and liberalism.
- ▪He argues that the liberal narrative, which emphasizes cooperation, is currently failing.
- ▪Harari compares the current state of liberalism to a house that is not being maintained, suggesting it may collapse in the future.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
new video loaded: Why the Liberal Narrative Is ‘Collapsing’transcriptBacktranscriptWhy the Liberal Narrative Is ‘Collapsing’The historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari is interested in how stories shape societies. On “The Ezra Klein Show,” he describes the dominant storylines of fascism, Communism and liberalism, and why the liberal narrative is struggling to hold.In the 20th century, you had basically three big stories. You had the fascist story, which said that history is a competition, a conflict between nations or races. Ultimately, the strongest nation or the strongest race will defeat all the others and conquer the world. Then you had the Communist story, which says, yes, but it’s not between races or nations, it’s between classes.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at NYT — Opinion.
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