Michael Bonner: Liberalism's Existential Crisis Without Christian Foundations
Liberal democracy stands at a critical juncture, facing profound dangers that threaten its very existence. This assertion, frequently echoed in political discourse, manifests through various contemporary challenges that test the resilience of democratic institutions worldwide.
The Great Political Rorschach Tests
Consider the defining political phenomena of recent years: Brexit and the two presidential elections of Donald Trump. These events have become modern Rorschach tests, interpreted in radically different ways depending on one's political perspective. Some view them as powerful assertions of autonomy and liberal freedoms—rebellions against perceived tyranny. Others see them as dangerous signs of illiberalism and incipient fascism threatening democratic norms.
Both interpretations ultimately lead to the same fundamental question: Is liberalism destined for decline and eventual disappearance? The answer depends significantly on one's understanding of liberalism itself and how one reads historical patterns.
The Stalled March of History
Contemporary conditions appear to contradict the optimistic "End of History" thesis popularized in the late 20th century. This theory predicted that all societies would inevitably progress toward liberal democracy characterized by personal freedom and secular governance. The collapse of the Soviet Union and liberation of Eastern Europe initially seemed to validate this historical trajectory, suggesting an unstoppable march toward liberal ideals.
Yet this process has clearly stalled, prompting urgent questions about why liberal democracy no longer appears as an inevitable destination for human political development.
Insufficient Explanations for Liberal Decline
Numerous explanations have been proposed for liberalism's current predicament. Some observers blame incompetent elites who fail to respond to legitimate public demands. Others point to misinformation campaigns, institutional failures, insufficient rights protections, inadequate fact-checking mechanisms, or insufficient punishment of dissent.
While these factors certainly contribute to political dysfunction, they cannot fully explain liberalism's deeper crisis. The fundamental problem, as I contend, stems from a crisis of belief. Liberalism historically presupposed certain foundational beliefs about human nature and human dignity that are becoming increasingly difficult to justify in secular terms.
The Foundational Belief Problem
As these foundational beliefs become harder to justify rationally, they become easier to dismiss intellectually. At sufficient scale, the failure to explain why individuals should think, believe, and behave according to liberal principles will inevitably lead to liberalism's erosion and eventual collapse.
The historical connection between Christian theology and liberal philosophy deserves particular attention. Traditional justifications for personal freedom often drew upon Christian concepts of human dignity and divine creation. As societies become more secular, alternative foundations for these liberal values have proven less compelling to many citizens.
A Thought Experiment: The Automated Society
Consider this illustrative thought experiment: Imagine a future society where all essential functions operate through fully automated systems—algorithms and artificial intelligence operating without human supervision or control. This technological network developed gradually over centuries, becoming so ancient that its origins and development processes have been forgotten.
Maintenance knowledge was once transmitted orally, and the original instruction manuals exist in languages that almost no one speaks or reads today. A handful of elderly scholars retain basic repair capabilities, but they cannot handle complex failures, restart collapsed systems, fix corrupted code, or retrain malfunctioning artificial intelligence.
The outcome is predictable: A system no longer properly understood will eventually break down completely. When people forget where something originated, they soon forget why it existed in the first place. Even if elites attempted emergency training of new experts or searched archives for lost knowledge, they could not rebuild understanding faster than the system deteriorated.
This technological analogy mirrors liberalism's current predicament. The philosophical foundations that once justified liberal democracy—particularly those rooted in Christian theology—have become increasingly obscure to contemporary citizens. Without understanding why liberal principles deserve commitment, societies struggle to maintain the very systems that protect personal freedom and democratic governance.
The challenge for 21st-century liberalism involves either rediscovering its historical justifications or developing new, compelling foundations that can sustain democratic institutions in an increasingly secular age. Without such foundations, the automated society of our thought experiment may become more than hypothetical—it may represent the fate of liberal democracy itself.
