In The Growth of the Liberal Soul , David Walsh provides a dazzling defense of liberalism by confronting the core difficulty of the liberal democratic tradition in explaining and justifying itself. David Walsh’s groundbreaking work addresses a pivotal crisis in liberal democratic self-understanding, as many leading thinkers abandoned the search for a foundation in human nature or moral truth. Without a firm footing, proponents of liberalism could not explain its initial extraordinary success or the recent seeming unraveling of its own moral code. Instead, Walsh argues that Christianity and philosophy formed the original foundation for liberalism, and that only the ideals of service, self-responsibility, and the sacredness of each person can provide the grounding that liberalism desperately needs. As Walsh seamlessly weaves together the ideas of Hobbes, Locke, Kant, Hegel, Tocqueville, Nietzsche, and other leading thinkers, The Growth of the Liberal Soul crafts a compelling defense of liberalism and issues an inspiring call to see liberty not as an invitation to universal egoism, but as the pursuit of the greatest justice, freedom, and fulfillment for all members of the community. "Walsh is a courageous witness to the continued presence of the great tradition. . . . To declare that liberalism has failed, that we already live in a postliberal world, only leads us further into alienation from the foundation that awaits our return to it." ― Law & Liberty “Walsh calls on us to immerse ourselves in this liberal tradition and to learn from it. It differs from the liberal thought of our century, for which liberty, having lost most of its intrinsic and constitutive appeal, serves mainly to promote economic growth, shield us from fearsome dictators, and free us to pursue our various conceptions of the good.” ― The Independent Review “On good liberal grounds alone, academic liberals should appreciate David Walsh’s powerful new defense of liberalism. A valuable contribution to the increasingly edifying debate led by conservatives over liberalism’s future, this book gently but firmly exposes the illusions that conceal from contemporary liberalism the source of the liberal spirit’s formidable moral authority.” ― First Things ". . . the reissue of The Growth of the Liberal Soul is a welcome addition to the raging debate over liberalism. It challenges many of the simplistic characterizations of our political tradition, looking not just to the ideas of this or that theorist but to the totality of our political experience and our attempts to understand it." ― Religion & Liberty Online "Walsh could give voice to a devastating criticism of the critics of liberal democracy because they forgot the most important aspect of what they chopped to pieces: there can be no analysis of liberal democracy outside the convictions that underpin it, namely mutual respect for the dignity and rights of others." ―Barry Cooper, The University Bookman "The publication of the second edition of The Growth of the Liberal Soul is a testament to David Walsh’s deep understanding of the history of political philosophy, of liberal theory, and of the depths of the liberal soul. He illuminates why yesterday’s arguments are also today’s and perhaps of all times." ―John von Heyking, The University Bookman "In reminding us of the moral and spiritual core at the heart of liberalism, Walsh goes far in breaching our ideological divide. . . . To the extent we may do so, we owe a debt of gratitude to David Walsh." ―Joseph R. Fornieri, The University Bookman David Walsh is professor of politics at the Catholic University of America. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including The Invisible Source of Authority, The Growth of the Liberal Soul, and Politics of the Person as the Politics of Being . Liberal democracy has been counted out more times than can be numbered. It is the worst of modern political forms―except for all the rest, to revive Churchill’s infamous quip. Yet the rumors of its demise, no matter how frequently mooted, have been greatly exaggerated. Of course, like all terminal patients it is always possible that the latest demurral may be the final one. We simply do not know, and therein lies liberalism’s great secret. Liberal democracy can neither fail nor die, for its endurance remains up to us. So long as we are the responsible ones, its resuscitation lies in our hands. We have become answerable for the question of its survival. To the extent that we have not turned our backs on the principle of liberty, its political evocation cannot turn its back on us. Dynasties may fail and ideologies may crumble but how can that which depends neither on a line of succession nor on historical destiny fail? So long as there are individuals who are convinced of the value of self-government there remains a foundation for freedom and dignity that can sustain an order based upon them. It is the one political form that d