Den samtida liberalismens kris och minimalismproblematiken

Marcel Gauchets samhällsfilosofi som svar på Samuel Moyns problem

Abstract

The Problem of Minimalism and The Crisis of Liberalism: On Samuel Moyn and Marcel Gauchet

The article pursues two primary objectives. First, I engage in an analysis and critique of the legal scholar and intellectual historian Samuel Moyn’s oeuvre, arguing that a central concern underlying his scholarship is what I term the “problem of minimalism.” This refers to the inclination to constrain political aspirations to merely preventing suffering and averting catastrophic outcomes – a tendency which, according to Moyn, has undermined liberal democracy. In response, Moyn advocates for a revival of two neglected liberal principles: emancipation and perfectionism. Second, I challenge Moyn’s proposition by arguing that, from a liberal perspective, both of these principles rest on unsustainable foundations and are therefore inadequate as solutions to the problem of minimalism. Instead, I propose an alternative theoretical framework, one that more effectively addresses the issue of minimalism. This alternative draws on the institution-focused approach of the French social theorist Marcel Gauchet, one of Moyn’s key intellectual influences.