The New Puritans: How the religion of social justice captured the Western world

The Puritans of the seventeenth century sought to refashion society in accordance with their own beliefs, but they were deep thinkers who were aware of their own fallibility. Today, in the grasp of the new puritans, we see a very different story.

Leading a cultural revolution driven by identity politics and so-called ‘social justice’, the new puritanism movement is best understood as a religion – one that makes grand claims to moral purity and tolerates no dissent. Its disciples even have their own language, rituals and a determination to root out sinners through what has become known as ‘cancel culture’.

In The New Puritans: how the religion of social justice captured the Western world, Andrew Doyle examines the underlying belief-systems of this ideology. How has it risen so rapidly to dominate all major political, cultural and corporate institutions? Do we need a better understanding of where these new puritans came from and what they hope to achieve? Can we – as Doyle urges – develop a spirit of optimism in making the case for the reinstatement of liberal values?

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