Abstract

A work of popular philosophy that articulates a new way of understanding th moral foundations of liberalism in terms of an ethic of care and responsibility rather than social contract theory. Reviving the Left defends "rootstock liberalism", a cultural liberalism that develops the moral basis of society from the ground up, propagating relationships of social trust that provide the moral foundation of society. All intact human relationships depend on an ethical commitment that commands us to be responsible. Rootstock liberalism names a politics that seeks to build institutions and practices that strengthen that ethical commitment.