Книга All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism
A fresh assessment of Catholic integralism and other new and radical religious alternatives to liberal democracy. According to a common narrative, the twentieth century spelled the end of faith-infused political movements. Their ideologies, like Catholic integralism, would soon be forgotten. Humans were finally learning to keep religion out of politics. Or were we? In the twenty-first century, nations as diverse as Russia, India, Poland, and Turkey have seen a revival of religious politics, and many religious movements in other countries have proved similarly resilient. A new generation of political theologians passionately reformulate ancient religious doctrines to revolutionize modern political life. They insist that states recognize the true religion, and they reject modern liberal ideals of universal religious freedom and church-state separation. In this book, philosopher Kevin Vallier explores these new doctrines, not as lurid oddities but as though they might be true. The anti-liberal doctrine known as Catholic integralism serves as Vallier's test case. Yet his approach naturally extends to similar ideologies within Chinese Confucianism and Sunni Islam. Vallier treats anti-liberal thinkers with the respect that liberals seldom afford them and offers more moderate skeptics of liberalism a clear account of the alternatives. Many liberals, by contrast, will find these doctrines frightening and strange but of enduring interest. Vallier invites all his readers on a unique intellectual adventure, encouraging them to explore unfamiliar ideals through the lenses of theology, philosophy, politics, economics, and history.
"This is an excellent and important book, starting with its defense of classical liberalism over Catholic integralism and indeed illiberalism more generally...likely to be one of this year's books that turns out to really matter." - Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
"All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism is a seminal and ground-breaking work of meticulous scholarship. Impressively exceptional in organization and presentation, All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism will have a special relevance and value for readers with an interest in the history of religion and politics, as well as being especially recommended for Church/State curriculum studies lists. Highly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library collections." - John Taylor, MBR Bookwatch
"A fantastic book - an intellectual feast." - Kaushik Basu, Carl Marks Professor of International Studies, Cornell University, and former Chief Economist of the World Bank
"The book is a response to the unexpected return of integralism as a political option, but it is also a reflection on what kind of society enables goodness...Vallier's book succeeds in revealing the dangerous flaws of integralism, but he offers few reasons to believe that liberalism has the resources to address the major social challenges we face today." - Terence Sweeney, The Commonweal
"Vallier provides an important commentary on the difficulty of achieving Christ's Kingdom on Earth, whether via liberalism or post-liberal integralism." - Paul Tuns, The Interim
"All the Kingdoms of the World is a welcome contribution to mapping the complex varieties of contemporary Christian anti-liberalism" - Alexander Faludy
