Why Open Society Matters

Across liberal democracies, open society has become both a familiar slogan and a favoured target, invoked by politicians and philanthropists while denounced by populists. In this approachably written and incisive work Christof Royer asks what it truly means to value diversity without illusions in an age of polarization, conspiracy thinking, and democratic fatigue.

Drawing on the charged history of open society in the writings of Henri Bergson and Karl Popper, and drawing on thinkers such as Hannah Arendt, Judith Shklar, or Stuart Hall, Royer reclaims the concept as both ethos and ideology: a fallible, argumentative stance that accepts conflict and tragedy and a partisan commitment to defending dissent against forces that would close it down. Through accessible case studies – from wokeness and culture wars to immigration, COVID-19, artificial intelligence, and free speech – Royer shows how a reimagined conception of open society can guide struggles without slipping into relativism or liberal self-congratulation. He advances a distinctive account of the way provocation forges character and explores the political role of reflective solitude. Openness, Royer argues, must be actively cultivated by education, institutions, and individuals; it will not simply flourish on its own.

Blending contemporary commentary and political theory with an irreverent first-person voice, Why Open Society Matters offers a provocative look at a contested ideal that has never been more relevant.