Few
things are as amazing as the unbelievable misunderstanding of (classical)
liberalism (derived, in fact, from a comparable lack of understanding
of economic science) which reigns about everywhere: among some members
of the clergy, within the academic environment, in the media, in private
conversations of men from all walks of life, not to speak of the political
arena. One can find no sin which is not directly imputable to liberalism:
a much too individualistic system, promoting egoism; it discourages charity
(or is even fundamentally unable to provide it; moreover, one sometimes
can get under the impression that liberalism forbids charity and humane
sentiments in general under the threat of most terrible punishments):
it promotes kitsch and low culture while departing from traditional values
(local or national); it promotes consumerism and materialism, it is Godless
and – trough the principle of competition at its core – entirely unfit
for fostering sentiments like friendship, solidarity, love or care for
the family. And one would be surprised how long this list could still
continue.
Communitarianism is no more
than a form of this misunderstanding, while positively offering very few
things beyond the well known tenets of statolatry. Mr. Ţăranu’s book offers
a good opportunity to grasp this.