ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with Erich Fromm's Fear of Freedom, originally published in 1942, as it is provides for a set of humanitarian principles which give meaning to the idea of freedom. In the current economic crisis and catastrophe, the conceptual underpinnings of their argument are still with us. Thinking about democracy within the framework of political liberalism and how consensual and collective decisions can be made, Talisse argues in favor of deliberative democracy. The pervasive ideological force of neoliberalism has had a deep impact on people's lives, identities and beliefs despite its obvious failure to sustain any meaningful sense of economic growth. Neoliberal politics have also played a significant role in the realignment of the cultural area. Neoliberal economic and social policies have relativized, if not done away with altogether, the idea that in order for them to be instigated some sort of liberal democracy is needed.
