The Illiberal Liberals

Zbigniew Janowski, a scholar of Descartes and of modern political thought, examines how a tradition that once prized open debate and freedom of conscience has come to tolerate less and less disagreement.

Drawing on his experience of life under communism, he traces the intellectual roots of today's pressures toward conformity and makes a case for the freedoms of thought and speech on which a healthy culture depends.

• The history of liberal ideas of liberty
• Conformity and freedom of conscience today
• Lessons from life under communism