Dr Eric Nelson, a political theorist and Professor of Government at Harvard University, recently published a book entitled ‘The Theology of Liberalism: Political Philosophy and the Justice of God’. In this book, Nelson argues that liberal traditions in politics are ultimately a product of ancient theological disputes about freedom of the will. Dr Edward Andrew, a Professor Emeritus at University of Toronto, recently published a paper that questions some of the ideas introduced by Nelson in his recent work. His paper highlights the failure of Nelson’s ideas to reconcile differences between Christians and Jews or provide for religious toleration. Andrew also suggests that a liberalism based on utility rather than individual rights, or what Nelson calls ‘dignitarian liberalism’, would be less likely to generate social inequities.
