Givers, Doers, & Thinkers—A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society · Jeremy Beer

Patrick Deneen & why liberalism failed

·54 min·3 clips

Deneen says the liberal regime has produced an elite that treats ordinary citizens as a “dangerous fifth column.”

Jeremy Beer records the conversation on April 16, 2025. Patrick Deneen is a repeat guest on the show. Beer opens by saying Why Liberalism Failed changed the conversation and that many people talk about it without having actually read it. Regime Change Toward a Post-Liberal Future becomes the main frame for the hour. The two return to the American founding, which Deneen treats as full of ambiguities rather than as a settled story. From there, the discussion works through progressive liberalism, classical liberalism, Marxism, and conservatism. Beer keeps asking for definitions and clarifications, and Deneen answers in a careful, measured way. He argues that progressive liberalism pushes government into nearly every sphere of life. He says that path weakens civil society first, then the states, and then reaches into family and church. The conversation turns to elite behavior, and Deneen says elites often mask their eliteness. He also contrasts his critique with the kind of criticism associated with Hillsdale College-style conservatives. John Stuart Mill and John Dewey come up as philosophical touchpoints, and Deneen is sharply critical of Dewey in particular. The episode later shifts to George Grant. Deneen says Grant was prescient, linking that judgment to his recent experience in Canada and the approach of a Canadian election. Beer closes by saying he will post more on Grant Canada and looks forward to seeing Deneen in South Bend.

As heard by us

A serious conversation about the American founding, liberalism, and the institutions they shape.

Patrick Deneen is given a careful hearing as Jeremy Beer uses the American founding to frame its ambiguities and set progressive liberalism, classical liberalism, Marxism, and conservatism against one another.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a serious read on Deneen's critique of liberalism and the American founding, start here.

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