Evolution of C.B. Macpherson’s Views on Liberal and Socialist Democracy: Critical Analysis

Article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the political thought of the Canadian theorist Crawford Brough Macpherson (1911–1987), with particular emphasis on his critique of liberal democracy and advocacy for a socialist democratic alternative. Drawing on his key works, ranging from early essays of the 1930s to late monographs of the 1980s, the study traces the evolution of Macpherson’s ideas from the concept of possessive individualism as a fundamental flaw in liberal systems to a vision of developmental, participatory democracy designed to incorporate the core tenets of Marxist critique and reconcile them with liberal values. To assess strengths and weaknesses, the article includes critiques and commentaries from scholars such as William Leiss, Phillip Hansen, Frank Cunningham, Ian McKay, Ellen Meiksins Wood, and others. The article argues that Macpherson’s ideas remain relevant to contemporary debates on inequality, democratic participation, and alternatives to neoliberalism, despite criticisms of their abstractness, insufficient attention to class relations, and human nature.