Liberalism and conservatism seem to be philosophically opposed, but meet with certain marriages in politics. So, are they compatible or incompatible? Two members of our editorial team cross swords in our feature on current cleavages.
Le poétisant Cyrille Bertrand, la vingtaine rêveuse, s’imagine une vie de littérature, de voluptés et d’aventures. Au lieu de cela, il est ballotté de petit boulot en petit boulot et de désillusion en désillusion. Et il ne comprend rien à son époque bien-pensante.
Federalists and anti-federalists clashed violently during the renewal of the American constitution in the second half of the 18th century. Like no other in history, this divide sheds light on the debate between the center and the periphery. It's hard not to see it as a reflection of contemporary issues.
The growing popularity of «populist» leaders in the Western world reflects a long-standing but ever-present divide between the elites and the people. This raises profound questions about what democracy should be. Gérard Araud, Chantal Delsol and David Goodhart help us do just that.
In 1978, the Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski, a dissident exiled in Oxford, proposed a definition of liberalism, conservatism and socialism that made them compatible and set a course to follow.
French 
German 
English