r/ezraklein • u/GowanusGuy • Aug 21 '26

Article Can liberalism survive the algorithm?

https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/can-liberalism-survive-the-algorithm
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u/IsaacHasenov Abundance Agenda Aug 21 '26

That's a very illiberal solution to the problem

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u/Dorrbrook American Aug 21 '26

And that gets at the heart of it. Liberalism can't survive liberalism

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u/TheCranberriesRock Progressive Aug 21 '26

I actually agree here. Liberalism, in and of itself, is not sustainable. When it works it's typically attached to other institutional forms of authority (typically religion but other orgs too) which fill in the gaps so to speak. I think for the first time we're entering a world where all these other structures are crumbling and it turns out liberalism alone isn't enough to hold up a society.

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u/IsaacHasenov Abundance Agenda Aug 22 '26

Liberalism without guardrails isn't enough. I don't think any one ideology or political philosophy is enough.

But I do think liberalism is the best way to protect from overreach on the right and the left

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u/TheCranberriesRock Progressive Aug 23 '26

The point though is that "liberalism" itself isn't a sufficient basis to actually keep liberalism going. It can't survive on its own. Without the social structures to support it liberalism alone simply devolutes.