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It is often said these days that liberalism is in crisis. Is…

It is often said these days that liberalism is in crisis. Is that true? If so, what is the character of that crisis? Could it be addressed by a return to liberalism in its original form, or were the seeds of the problems planted at the beginning? And what is the best defense one can make of liberalism, despite its present troubles? In addressing these questions, draw from at least three thinkers from the required reading list. Although a number of political theorists speak of a “crisis of liberalism,” this might be taken in two different ways. In your opinion, is there a contemporary crisis of liberal political theory? Why or why not? In your opinion, is there a contemporary crisis of liberal political society? Why or why not? To what degree can the two questions be distinguished? That is, could there be a crisis in liberal society but not in liberal theory, or a crisis in liberal theory but not in liberal society? To what degree is our situation—whether or not it is a crisis—new? On March 18, 2019, Xi Jinping, in a major speech on education, wrote “Courses on political philosophy are fundamental to building strong moral character. Young people are at a crucial stage of life. Like flowers in budding which need to be watered, they should be carefully guided and educated while they grow up. . . . Courses on political philosophy play an irreplaceable role in this regard, and teachers of these courses bear a great responsibility. The Party Central Committee places high value on education, attaching great importance to education in political philosophy.” Leaving aside whatever this may mean about the details of what is going on in Communist China today, explain what you think this centrality of political philosophy in the public educational theory of the leader of the most populous country on earth indicates about the change in the cultural position of political philosophy as envisioned in the thought of political theorists writing since 1500—choosing any one (or more) political theorist as your exemplary focus—as contrasted with the thought of any one (or more) political theorist writing before 1500.