Patrick Deneen

Patrick J. Deneen

For the skier, see Patrick Deneen (skier) .

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Patrick Deneen

Born (1964-07-21) July 21, 1964 (age 61) Spouse Inge Deneen

Academic background Education Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BA , PhD ) University of Chicago Thesis The Odyssey of Political Theory (1995) Doctoral advisor Wilson Carey McWilliams Other advisor Benjamin Barber Influences • Wendell Berry • Christopher Lasch • Alexis de Tocqueville

Academic work Discipline Political science Sub-discipline • Constitutional studies • Political theory School or tradition • Communitarianism • Conservatism • Participatory democracy • Postliberalism • Roman Catholicism Institutions • Princeton University • Georgetown University • University of Notre Dame

Notable works Why Liberalism Failed (2018) Regime Change: Towards a Postliberal Future (2023)

Website patrickjdeneen.com

Patrick J. Deneen, born in 1964, stands as a significant figure in contemporary American political theory . His academic work is largely characterized by a rigorous and often provocative critique of liberalism , particularly its perceived failures and corrosive effects on modern society and its communal structures. He holds a professorial position in political science at the esteemed University of Notre Dame , where his research and teaching delve into the intricate connections between political philosophy, the broader cultural landscape, and the enduring influence of religion .

Deneen’s most widely recognized contribution is his 2018 book, Why Liberalism Failed . In this work, he posits that the very tenets of liberalism, which have shaped Western societies for centuries, have paradoxically led to profound societal fragmentation, the disintegration of deeply rooted communal bonds, and a pervasive sense of meaninglessness. His scholarship consistently seeks to unearth the philosophical foundations of modern political thought , often advocating for a return to, or at least a serious consideration of, more traditional, localized, and communitarian models of governance and social organization. His more recent book, Regime Change: Towards a Postliberal Future (2023), further elaborates on his critique of liberalism, exploring the potential pathways toward a future shaped by postliberal principles and a renewed focus on the common good.

Life and Career

Born Patrick J. Deneen on July 21, 1964, he is the son of an insurance executive. He spent his formative years in Windsor, Connecticut , within a devoutly Catholic household. His heritage is of Irish descent. Deneen pursued his undergraduate studies at Rutgers University , where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature in 1986. He then embarked on his graduate work in political science at the University of Chicago , specifically within its renowned Committee on Social Thought . After a year of study, he transferred back to Rutgers, completing his PhD in 1995. His doctoral dissertation, titled “The Odyssey of Political Theory,” was a significant academic achievement, recognized with the American Political Science Association’s Leo Strauss Award for Best Dissertation in Political Philosophy in the same year.

Following his academic training, Deneen served from 1995 to 1997 as a speechwriter and special advisor to Joseph Duffey, who was then the director of the United States Information Agency under President Clinton . This period provided him with practical experience in government and public policy.

His academic career continued with a tenure at Princeton University from 1997 to 2005, where he held the position of assistant professor. In 2005, Deneen moved to Georgetown University , taking on the role of Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Associate Professor of Government. During his time at Georgetown, from 2006 to 2012, he was the founding director of the Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy. Established in 2006, the forum aimed “to promote civic knowledge and promote inquiry,” fostering discussions on the foundational principles of American democracy.

In 2012, Deneen joined the faculty at the University of Notre Dame . He was elevated to the rank of full professor in 2018, solidifying his position as a leading scholar in his field.

Written Work and Influence

Patrick Deneen’s scholarly expertise encompasses a broad range of subjects, including the theory and practice of democracy, the philosophical critiques of liberalism, and the study of both classical and modern political thought, with a particular focus on the American tradition. He is widely regarded as a prominent voice within conservative intellectual circles, largely due to his central thesis that liberalism, in its various historical and contemporary manifestations, has ultimately proven detrimental to the health of American society and its institutions.

His extensive bibliography includes five monographs, three edited volumes, and a substantial number of academic articles. Deneen has contributed essays and commentary to influential publications such as First Things , The American Conservative , The New Atlantis , and the online journal Front Porch Republic .

The impact of his 2018 book, Why Liberalism Failed , was considerable, even garnering attention from former President Barack Obama , who included it on his summer reading list for 2018. Obama, while stating he disagreed with many of the book’s conclusions, acknowledged its value, noting that it “offers cogent insights into the loss of meaning and community that many in the West feel, issues that liberal democracies ignore at their own peril.” Deneen’s 2023 work, Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future, continues this line of inquiry, proposing a framework for a post-liberal conservatism that prioritizes the pursuit of the “common good.”

Deneen was instrumental in the founding of the online magazine Front Porch Republic, where he continues to serve as a contributing editor. The journal’s intellectual orientation draws heavily from the writings of Wendell Berry , a sentiment captured in its motto: “Place. Limits. Liberty.” Deneen’s inaugural post on the website, titled “A Republic of Front Porches,” published on March 2, 2009, was later revised and incorporated into his 2018 book, Localism in the Mass Age: A Front Porch Republic Manifesto. In 2012, David Brooks , a prominent New York Times columnist, categorized Front Porch Republic as a publication emblematic of a nascent “paleoconservative” movement poised to influence the future direction of conservatism. Brooks described the journal’s contributors as being inherently “suspicious of bigness: big corporations, big government, a big military, concentrated power and concentrated wealth. Writers at that Web site, and at the temperamentally aligned Front Porch Republic, treasure tight communities and local bonds. They’re alert to the ways capitalism can erode community. Dispositionally, they are more Walker Percy than Pat Robertson.”

Deneen identifies several key intellectual influences that have shaped his particular brand of Catholic communitarianism . Among these are his doctoral advisor, Wilson Carey McWilliams, as well as the agrarian writer Wendell Berry , the social critic Christopher Lasch , and the French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville .

Political Engagements

Patrick Deneen has been an active participant in various political and intellectual forums. He was a featured speaker at the 2019 National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C. In his address, he offered a nuanced critique of national conservatism itself, suggesting that certain aspects of American nationalism had historical roots in progressive movements led by figures like Woodrow Wilson , Theodore Roosevelt , and Herbert Croly . He articulated a vision for a nation that would prioritize the sustenance and flourishing of its constituent communities, stating, “The nation should be above all devoted to efforts to sustain, foster and support the communities that comprise it, and to combat, where necessary and possible, the modern forces that have proven to be so destructive of those constitutive communities.”

In September 2019, Deneen delivered a lecture on “The Crisis of Democracy” at the Senate of the Czech Republic as part of an international conference organized by the voting reform group Institute H21 . Subsequently, in November 2019, he met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest. This meeting coincided with the Hungarian translation of Why Liberalism Failed and discussions held at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences .

In June 2020, Deneen addressed criticisms leveled against him by some libertarians , who accused him of disloyalty to the founding principles of American liberalism. In response to critiques from figures like George Will , who perceived Deneen as hostile to American founding individualism, Deneen highlighted a less emphasized, more communitarian strain within the American political tradition.

The summer of 2020 saw Deneen engaged in two notable public debates with conservative and libertarian thinkers. He participated in a debate on the social responsibilities of corporations with former CKE Restaurants CEO Andrew Puzder on the website The American Compass. In this discussion, Deneen argued for a broader conception of corporate accountability, encompassing civic, consumer, and environmental duties. He also debated conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg on the broader consequences of liberalism, contending that its ascendant principles had exacerbated social isolation, political fragmentation, and economic inequality .

In November 2020, Deneen lent his support to the American Solidarity Party by joining its Board of Advisors.

Works

• The Odyssey of Political Theory. Lanham, United States: Rowman & Littlefield , 2000. ISBN  978-0-8476-9622-2.
• Democratic Faith. Princeton, United States: Princeton University Press , 2005. ISBN  9780691118710.
• Conserving America? Essays on Present Discontents. South Bend, United States: St Augustine’s Press, 2016. ISBN  9781587319150.
• Why Liberalism Failed . New Haven, United States: Yale University Press , 2018. ISBN  9780300223446.
• Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future. New York City: Sentinel , 2023. ISBN  9780593086902.

References

1. “Patrick J. - Deneen // Department of Political Science // University of Notre Dame”. Department of Political Science. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
2. Caddick, Thomas (July 10, 2020). “‘I had an admirable but naïve patriotism’: an interview with Patrick Deneen”. Catholic Herald.
3. Ward, Ian (June 8, 2023). “‘I Don’t Want to Violently Overthrow the Government. I Want Something Far More Revolutionary.’”. Politico.
4. Oldfield, Elizabeth (June 14, 2023). “Patrick Deneen on the Failure of Liberalism and the Importance of Relational Living”. Theos.
5. “Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews Patrick Deneen”. The New York Times. May 13, 2022.
6. “Patrick Deneen on Ending the Liberal Order”. June 9, 2023.
7. “Faculty Page”. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
8. “Faculty Webpage”. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
9. “Patrick Deneen”. The New Atlantis. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
10. “The Tocqueville Forum at Georgetown University Features Karski Biographer”. Jan Karski Educational Foundation. October 30, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
11. “Patrick J. - Deneen // Department of Political Science // University of Notre Dame”. University of Notre Dame Department of Political Science. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
12. “Patrick J. - Deneen // Provost Office // University of Notre Dame”. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
13. Slade, Stephanie (June 7, 2023). “Liberalism isn’t rule by elites”. Reason.com. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
14. “Register” – via facebook .
15. “Obama says these were his 29 favorite books of 2018”. Business Insider. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
16. “When ‘Regime Change’ Means Returning America to an Idealized Past”. The New York Times . June 7, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
17. “Who We Are”. Front Porch Republic. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
18. Deneen, Patrick. “Front Porch Republic – Deneen Articles”. Front Porch Republic.
19. “At Last, The FPR Manifesto”. Front Porch Republic. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
20. “Localism in the Mass Age”. Wipf & Stock. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
21. Brooks, David (November 20, 2012). “The Conservative Future”. The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
22. Deneen, Patrick (June 11, 2011). “My Teacher, My Friend”. Front Porch Republic. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
23. “Patrick Deneen’s Recommended Books on Christianity and Politics”. Anselm’s House. October 29, 2014. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
24. “A Community of Communities”. The Point Magazine. June 12, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
25. “International Conference”. Institute H21. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
26. “Deneen Meets Orban”. Hungary Journal. November 26, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
27. “Patrick J. Deneen: Conversation and Conference”. Otto Hapsburg Institute. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
28. Deneen, Patrick (June 15, 2020). “Taking Back America from the Libertarians”. American Compass. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
29. “Corporate Obligations Debate”. The American Compass. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
30. “Has Liberalism Failed?”. Newsweek. July 8, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
31. “Board of Advisors | American Solidarity Party”. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Naval Academy Discussion on Liberalism’s Past and Present
• Regime Change

Authority control databases

• International: ISNI: 0000 0001 1455 2685 · VIAF: 107014658 · GND: 129585256 · WorldCat: 107014658
• National: United States: n90670172 · France: cb145652339 (data) · Japan: ia000000063358 · Czech Republic: jn20010525019 · Portugal: pt2009002697 · Netherlands: 000751174 · Norway: 25075544 · Latvia: c03832638 · Croatia: 161224 · Poland: 7449010 · Israel: 351400 · Belgium: 48319514
• Academics: CiNii: DA12194169
• People: DDB: 363684
• Other: IdRef: 079101623 · Yale LUX: 60c4bb16-76e7-4793-9852-3b28a1921760