Francis Fukuyama - The End of History and the Last Man

About this Episode

Fukuyama evaluates whether history has moved in a discernable diretion. The "End of History" is a concept introduced by Hegel and Kant. They argued that history will end when no further social progress can be made in society. Fukuyama's task is to determine whether liberal democracy constitutes this best possible society.

In Episode 21, we discuss Fukuyama's evaluation of the alternatives to liberal democracy - namely, authoritarianism, communism/socialism, and Islam.

In Episode 22, we dive into his insights related to the human need for "recognition." He argues that the desire for recognition drives how humans judge social progress. But the Right and the Left view recognition in fundamentally different ways. The upshot is a tension that casts doubt on whether history has ended.

This book may be the best reading we have done for the podcast. We discuss Fukuyama's most fascinating insights in Episode 22.