Liberalism was born out of the need to find a political solution to the terrible religious civil wars that devastated Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Hence the understandable distrust of liberals towards any "ideology of the Good," as well as their desire to believe in a morally neutral society governed by the impersonal mechanisms of Law and Market. The problem is that by deciding to eliminate any reference to commonly accepted ethical values, we also kill what Orwell called "common decency," that is, a set of basic human virtues such as honesty, integrity, kindness, or generosity. However, these virtues should not be confused with the metaphysical constructs of the fanatics of the "Good." Because it was on such ideologies that the totalitarianism of the 20th century relied to systematically destroy the most essential rules of common decency. If we do not assume the power of the rules of common decency, I do not see in the name of which principle we could denounce the inhumane nature of the Nazi or Stalinist regimes.

(from the interview of Jean-Claude Michea with Aude Lancelin for "Le Nouvel Observateur")