Books – Kevin Vallier

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Kevin Vallier

Some of you will be able to tell immediately upon meeting me that I am a Southerner. I hail from a small South Alabama town known as Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope was founded by a Georgist splinter group in 1894.

Books

All the Kingdoms of the World
Liberal Politics and Public Faith
Must Politics Be War?
Political Utopias
Religious Exemptions
Trust in a Polarized Age

Amazon Review

    
 
 
        
   Sententiae 
 13. December, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Unempirical speculation
The most important contribution Vallier makes here is in his positive case for a form of integralism from historical Catholic theology. As he ventures into the destructive phase of his book, which depends on a sort of idealized social science, he relies excessively on formal models rather than empirical evidence. For those dazzled by graphs (of which there are a great many), such models may be persuasive. But the empirical predictions Vallier makes---for instance, that integralist states will fall apart in less than a century (p. 197)---are simply baffling given that nearly all integralist states (e.g. the Papal states) lasted for many centuries. If liberals are merely looking for a citeable take-down of an increasingly prominent rival to their view of state authority, they will be contented. Alternatively, integralists needn't take the criticisms very seriously, for they are straightforwardly undermined by centuries of Catholic statesmanship.
  
 
 
 
       
   craig 
 26. November, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: worth the read
A well written, and much needed, book on the subject of integralism. A theory finding more and more acceptance on the catholic right. Conservatives are supposed to be committed to the constitution, but increasingly, more are turning to authoritarian  beliefs like integralism. For believers of classical liberalism the political atmosphere is unfriendly, the squad on the left and integralists on the right. To be fair the Roman Catholic Church doesn't not embrace integralism, and nor do most of the rank and file within the church(I suspect few in the church have even heard of it) but for many young Catholics(mostly male converts) this is an attractive option.The author does an excellent job of chronicling the history of the ideology and of the logical inconsistencies within it. I wish the author had spent more time discussing Islamic Anti liberalism, but that doesn't take away from the book. Excellent read.
  
 
 
 
       
   Testmaster 
 17. November, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Superb
An outstanding contribution packed with insights relevant to all readers.
  
 
 
 
       
   MS 
 19. October, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Essential reading on antiliberalism
This book will be required reading for anyone thinking about the tradition of antiliberal thought, especially integralism, but other forms of antiliberalism as well.
  
 
 
 
       
   Joseph Porter 
 18. October, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Impressively sweeping and charitable
All the Kingdoms of the World is a deeply impressive book both in its sweep—it's extremely informative and taught me a good deal about Catholic political theology (among other things)—and in its commendable charitableness towards religious "illiberalisms." Few scholars have gone to Vallier's lengths to understand and grapple with these illiberalisms, despite their increasing influence on global and even American politics.Both readers who are sympathetic to such illiberalisms and those who are not will benefit from engaging with Vallier's arguments against them—I found his justice argument especially thought-provoking.
  
 
 
 
       
   Kaveh Pourvand 
 17. October, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Liberalism that takes religious perspectives seriously
Academic liberal philosophy claims to offer a neutral justification of political institutions that individuals of a wide variety of ethical perspectives, including religious ones, could affirm. Yet, at the same time, liberal philosophers rarely engage in a deep or considered way with religious perspectives, including those that reject liberalism. The great strength of Vallier's book is that he bases his defense of classical liberalism on a sustained and sympathetic study of catholic Integralism.
  
 
 
 
       
   Bryan McGraw 
 16. October, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Clear, thoughtful, and persuasive
The argument is clear, thoughtful, and persuasive.
  
 
 
 
       
   David Gordon 
 16. October, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: An Excellent Study of an Important Political Movement
Vallier offers a penetrating analysis of integralism, an influential  movement that seeks a closer union between church and state than is characteristic of liberalism. He concentrates mostly on Roman Catholic liberalism but considers integralist movements in other religions as well. He argues that integralism has little prospect of achieving its goals and has many harmful consequences. Vallier is by training a philosopher but he uses arguments based on economics and history as well as  philosophical arguments.
  
 
 
 
       
   Daniel Hugger 
 16. October, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Integralism* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
Thorough, balanced, and definitive engagement with Catholic Integralism and leading contemporary Integralists.Helpful context given by engagement with other radical religious alternatives to liberalism within Confucian and Islamic traditions.Best book available on the subject and, as Tyler Cowen observed, "likely to be one of this year’s books that turns out really to matter."
  
 
 
 
       
   John Thrasher 
 16. October, 2023
 
 
    All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism: Excelent Book on an Increasingly Important topic
This is a great book. It is well-written and expresses a strong point of view, while also being careful and fair about the issues involved. Anyone remotely interested in this topic will learn a lot and have even more to think about after the book is done. Highly recommend.
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  Amazon rating score: 4.5 of 5, 
based on 16 reviews

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