In an upcoming episode of Café Berlin, Ian Oxnevad and I are joined by Stephanie Slade, senior editor at Reason and author of the forthcoming book Fusionism: Liberty, Virtue, and the Future of the American Right.

Fusionism helped shape the modern conservative movement by bringing together the defense of individual liberty and the pursuit of moral virtue. But was it merely a political alliance among libertarians, traditionalists, and Cold War hawks, or was it a deeper philosophy with something important to say to the present?

Our conversation considers what happens when a successful political philosophy stops explaining itself. Did victory in the Cold War make liberty, prosperity, and constitutional government appear self-sustaining? And did the failure to transmit the ideas behind those achievements leave a new generation searching for alternatives?

That question leads directly into the ideological conflicts unfolding on both the left and the right. Why are some young people drawn to socialism while others embrace more statist forms of conservatism? Are they rejecting freedom, or are they searching for a sense of moral purpose that the institutions around them have failed to provide?

Colleges and universities occupy a central place in this debate. How should they teach Marxism, socialism, and the history of communist regimes? Can they help students understand not only how to protect their freedom, but what that freedom is for? And if established institutions fail, should renewal begin through politics or through building new schools, colleges, and civic institutions?

Is fusionism a solution to the right’s divisions, or a forgotten vocabulary that must be translated for a new generation?

To hear about Slade’s findings, watch the episode below or on YouTube. It premieres tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

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