The much heralded 'triumph' of liberal democracy comes at a time
when there are increasing disagreements concerning its nature.
Some of these disagreements concern a central tenet of liberalism:
the neutrality of the state. How is this to be understood? Is a liberal
society one where the state is neutral and allows the coexistence of
different ways of life and conceptions of the good? Or is it a society
where the state promotes specific ideals like equality or personal
autonomy? Several liberals, in an attempt to respond to the
communitarian challenge, have recently argued that, far from
neglecting ideas about the good, liberalism is the embodiment of a set
of specific values.
1