Autonomous Freedom in Modern Liberalism’s Anthropological Project: A Theological Critique in the Light of the Incarnation

Abstract

This article offers an expository and analytical study of modern liberalism by examining its meaning, socio-political foundations, and economic structures. Rather than approaching liberalism solely as a political arrangement or policy framework, the study treats it as a developing anthropological and moral vision that shapes modern understandings of freedom, autonomy, and the human person. First, the study clarifies the meaning of modern liberalism by tracing its conceptual development from classical liberalism to its modern forms, highlighting its defining commitments to individual autonomy, state neutrality, and pluralism. Durkheim’s principle of social solidarity is recalled here, showing how liberalism’s emphasis on autonomy weakens collective moral bonds once sustained by religion. Second, modern liberalism is situated within its socio-political context, examining its emergence from the collapse of religious authority, the fragmentation of moral consensus, and the liberal state’s attempt to manage diversity through procedural neutrality. Weber’s notion of social action is contrasted with liberalism, which redefines human purpose away from transcendent vocation toward secular autonomy, reshaping the meaning of freedom in modern society. The third part analyzes the economic foundations of modern liberalism, focusing on the anthropological assumptions embedded in liberal economics, the role of market logic in reinforcing autonomous freedom, and the ways economic liberalism contributes to moral and social fragmentation. Methodologically, the study employs a historical-conceptual and interdisciplinary approach, drawing from political philosophy, social theory, and economic thought to present a coherent exposition of modern liberalism as a unified project rather than a collection of isolated ideas.  The article is primarily descriptive and analytical, aiming to clarify the internal logic and development of modern liberalism before any normative or theological evaluation is undertaken. By exposing the underlying assumptions about freedom, reason, and the human person that unite its political and economic dimensions, the study prepares the ground for further theological reflection on the adequacy of modern liberalism as a moral framework in contemporary society.