Why Liberalism Failed

Patrick Deneen is currently a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, having taken up a position there in 2012 after holding positions at Georgetown University and Princeton. Widely known for his writing that includes multiple books, essays, and journal articles, he most recently co-founded the online journal of political philosophy The Postliberal Order with several academic colleagues. The journal explores the roots of liberal regimes in the modern Western world, analyzes key figures and texts of political philosophy, and offers commentary on current events. Thanks to his philosophic and religious commitments—Deneen is a Roman Catholic—his positions on various aspects of political philosophy are often criticized by thinkers at both ends of the ideological spectrum in American politics.

Deneen received his bachelor’s degree at Ruger’s University in 1986, where he also eventually completed his doctoral studies, writing on political theory and defending his dissertation in 1995. Eventually, he would be hired to the faculty at Princeton, and he has spent the last 25 years teaching. In addition to his teaching career, Deneen has published work in many nationally recognized publications, including First Things, The American Conservative, and others. His most famous book is Why Liberalism Failed, but he has published several other works, including Democratic Faith, Conserving America: Thoughts on Present Discontents, and Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future.