Liberalism in 2025
Monday, February 17, 2025 ⚓︎
Late last decade The Economist issued a manifesto and essay defending liberalism in the 21st century. Rereading it seven years later, it is not clear that the world has yet heard the call. President Biden’s term did not shore up America’s democracy against further backsliding, leaving it vulnerable to a second Trump presidency. Europe still hasn’t found its backbone.
What does this mean for science? Higher tariffs and mass government layoffs spell disaster for science funding. I expect delays in delivery of crucial technologies and medicines. Well-funded incumbants will be able to navigate the chaos, but emerging and capital-intensive technologies will struggle to get enough funding.
The essay is worth a re-read at the outset of an uncertain era in the mid-2020s.