The Dilemma Of Nationalism And Its Salvation

After the Cold War, some theorists argued that human beings had stepped into an era of the end of ideology. In fact, the nationalism had taken the place of the capitalism and socialism, and it become the main ideology. Since its appearance, the nationalism had played a decisive role in the development and evolution of the world history and international relationship of countries. It can be a powerful force for the national construction, but also can run amok due to the improper utilization and lit the fire of ethnic hatred. What the extreme form of nationalism brings to people was not the stable order of life, but fear and unrest during the 20 th century. Therefore, some western scholars attempted to consider the problems of the nationalism from the perspective of the liberalism. In their opinion, the necessity of the existence of the nationalism had been recognized,but the combination of the liberalism and the nationalism need more support both in theory and practice. The liberalism paid more attention to individual freedom, while the nationalism paid more attention to emphasizing the significance of the individual sense of belonging, there was a prominent contradiction between them. The thought of liberal nationalism pointed out a feasible way of solving the contradiction. Isaiah Berlin reviewed the nationalism and national issues from the view of liberalism. He had his own special thought of the nationalism. He respected the individual freedom, and contended value-pluralism at the same time. In his mind, individual freedom was surely important, but the value of national culture which was the foundation of the nation also should not be neglected. Therefore, on one hand, he adhered to the theory of “negative liberty”, on the other hand, he highlighted the individual sense of belonging and the value of the national culture. This article takes Isaiah Berlin’s above view as a starting point to analysis the source of his thought of the liberal nationalism. Through the analysis of the thought of the nationalism and the liberalism, especially the discussion about the theory of “negative liberty”, this article views the thought of the liberal nationalism as the best solution to break the dilemma of the nationalism. This article aims at determining the liberal limitation of nationalism according to the thought of the liberal nationalism to guarantee the realization of liberty and the cultural rights of national community, thus forming a balance society in which individuals and communities are respecting each other and harmoniously coexisting. The thought of the liberal nationalism is a wonderful idea and the best way of breaking the dilemma of nationalism. It shows us the possibility of the combination of the liberalism and the nationalism, it also has a great significance of reference for dealing with the ethnic problems.