Canadian Idealism

Readers of this book, Canadian Idealism and the Philosophy of Freedom: C.B. Macpherson, George Grant and Charles Taylor, are fortunate; they will be exploring the tradition of Canadian philosophical idealism. I was at least as fortunate, years ago, because my initial contact with the subject was firsthand and personal, and had a profound impact on me.

The year was 1968—a time of bold ideas and new directions … A growing and deep questioning of the post-war military‐industrial complex and the expanding materialism of the day was emerging. In a powerful contrary trend, corporate marketers were urging people to find happiness through the purchase of new products endlessly put on the market to respond to needs that consumers had not even realized they had. A new generation was greeting all this with a search for deeper meaning and freedom to engage. New ways of thinking were...