George Orwell on Liberalism, Humanism, and the Problem of Unattainability

Abstract The present paper aims at describing Orwell’s humanism. After reviewing how Orwell’s humanism has been analyzed in recent decades, it contends that Orwell endorsed a humanism of imperfection. Orwell’s humanism, so understood, aligns with liberalism and his rejection of both religious perfectionism and collectivist utopia. However, Orwell recognized that this set of doctrines was in tension. To defend the liberal order against the thrust of collectivist ideologies such as Stalinism and Nazism, Orwell thought that it was necessary to restore a religious attitude towards liberalism’s basic values, even as he recognized that attitude fits uncomfortably with liberalism and humanism as he understood them. Interestingly, Orwell’s critical attempt to reconcile these doctrines anticipates some contemporary criticisms of liberalism’s most influential proponent.