Deneen blogging

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Collecting some good quotes from Deneen, along with occasional commentary, in the interest of advancing my review, and your consciousness!

"Liberalism has drawn down on a preliberal inheritance and resources that at once sustained liberalism but which he cannot replenish" (29-30).

It is no sort of comeback to Deneen's view to point to the great material wealth produced by liberalism, since Patrick is quite aware of this wealth himself, and repeatedly acknowledges its existence. But in his view (and mine too) liberalism is analogous to the guy at the gym that has been popping steroids like mad for 10 years, who, when it is pointed out that he is getting himself into deep trouble, replies, "What?! Don't you see all the weight I can lift?" Why, yes we do, and it is the very thing that has raised your bench press poundage into the stratosphere that has gotten you into this fix.

This is not to say we might not be wrong, just that it is foolish to point to the very thing we think has gotten liberal societies into such deep trouble (the all-out focus on the material) as a knockdown riposte to our critique.

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