Liberal Loyalty: Freedom, Obligation, and the State

Synopsis

this Is A Clearly Written, Well-argued, And Exceptionally Sane Book. Stilz Rescues Concepts Like Loyalty And Obligation From The Hands Of Academic Nationalists, And Reclaims Them For Use By Cosmopolitans And Liberal Universalists. In This, She Has Done A Great Service To The Fields Of Political Philosophy And Political Theory. Her Work Provides Valuable Insights Into Democratic Theory, Global Justice, And The Moral Foundations Of The Liberal Project Itself.—michael Blake, University Of Washington

stilz Offers A Provocative And Original Answer To Some Very Old Questions About Political Obligation. Her Great Contribution Is To Provide A New Conception Of Solidarity—a Missing Value In Most Liberal Conceptions—basing It On An Individualist Theory Of Collective Intentions.—john Ferejohn, Stanford University

are There Good Liberal Grounds To Respect The Authority Of The State? Can The Political Fact Of Citizenship Alone Serve As The Basis Of Solidarity In A Democracy? Stilz Brilliantly Shows That These Two Questions Need To Be Asked Together, And Her Answers Are Distinctive, Imaginative, And Forcefully Defended. Liberal Loyalty Is A Compelling Read, And A Book To Be Reckoned With.—patchen Markell, University Of Chicago

stilz Has A Fresh Approach To A Central Problem In Contemporary Political Thought. She Writes With Clarity And Confidence, And Provides An Original Defense Of The Idea Of Constitutional Patriotism In Combination With A Strong Critique Of Liberal Nationalism.—jan-werner Müller, Princeton University

choice

are Liberals Left With Either A Repugnant Cultural Nationalism Or A Floating Cosmopolitanism, Or Can They Create A Coherent Liberal Account That Grounds Citizens' Loyalty To A Particular State? Stilz Forcefully Argues That They Can. After Skillfully Exposing Problems With Both Cosmopolitan And Nationalist Liberalisms And Effectively Refuting Liberal-leaning Anarchists, Stilz Turns To Kant, Rousseau, And Habermas For Inspiration, Arguing That Liberals Must Conceptualize Loyalty As A Political Duty To Support Institutions That Promote Liberal Freedoms.