While the Enlightenment and liberalism have undeniably shaped the West, the decline of its foundational institutions and the rise of polarized responses between left-wing egalitarianism and right-wing populism reveal a flaw in liberal doctrine where it is powerless to counter societal decay. Classical liberalism, whose emphasis on life, liberty, and property, along with the obligation to obey government being conditional and rebellion openly endorsed, has shaped Western governance and created the institutional framework for justice and the rule of law yet those social institutions depend on individuals for maintenance. While virtuous individuals can create neutral institutions, those institutions cannot create virtuous individuals, leaving them vulnerable to corruption by non-liberal ideologies through democratic means.
Democracy, as the preferred political process in the west, is often conflated with liberalism but it has not escaped criticism from liberal thinkers, from Plato and Aristotle to John Stuart Mill, for its susceptibility to popular opinion and self-interest. Democracy's short-term focus and appeal to majority prejudice exposes liberalism’s structural flaws where institutions increasingly advance harmful policies, subsidize mediocrity, punish virtue, and reflect the flawed ideologies of those in power. The erosion of trust in social institutions has fueled a populist movement, as entrenched bureaucracies - often unaccountable to elected officials - have become the true power, prioritizing their own interests over the people they are meant to serve. Donald Trump's rise as a populist figure is a protest against the decay of Western liberal institutions and ideologically captured bureaucracies that reflect the broader decline of empire.
There is a challenge in addressing issues of scale within a vast, diverse population but Trump’s push to dismantle federal bureaucracies like the Department of Education and to restore decision-making to states offers a chance for consensus and effective reform. Optimizing the relationship between individuals and social institutions requires localized decision-making, as smaller, cohesive populations demonstrate that shared values and manageable scale foster freedom and unity, while large, fragmented democracies incentivize divisive, zero-sum politics. Given that populist movements often arise from disillusionment with centralized politics they do have the potential to foster a libertarian-type leaning which focuses on individual responsibility and local action as a counter to systemic decay. Donald Trump’s second term presents both an opportunity for substantial change and the risk that unresolved tensions could lead to an authoritarian left-wing reaction in 2028.
The decline of Western liberal institutions reveals a vulnerability to corruption and ideological capture. Populist figures like Trump symbolize the duality of resistance to decay and the risk of authoritarianism which underscores the need for localized decision-making and institutional reform to prevent further erosion of freedoms.
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