1 Liberalism: Core ideas and principles Flashcards
individualism
modern liberalism
Rawls, TH Green, JSM
- argues classic liberalism underplays inequalities in society
- Rawls argued an individual’s societal position was vital in determining if they thrived or underachieved
- T.H. Green argued for positive freedom, where the state practises developmental individualism to make society fairer (JSM agreed)
- state must offer a ‘hand up’ if every individual is to thrive
- developmental individualism can be seen in the expansion of state involvemnent and welfare provision after WWII
- Modern libs would agree ‘life liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ are human rights, but classic libs believe minimal intervention is the right way to ensure these are protected, but modern libs argue only an interventionist state can guarantee these freedoms
individualism
classic liberalism
- an individuals primary motivation is egotistical individualism or maximising one’s own unitility so they can thrive
- Individual freedom is sacrosanct (too important to be interefered with)
- atomistic society
- state should be LIMITED to law and order so it doesn’t infringe on individual freedom
- influenced American revolutionaries ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ (dec of independence) these are human rights and should be upheld by the state
individualism
individual tolerance in liberalism
- Locke (class) focused on respecting alternative religious and political views
- Mary Wollestonecraft and Betty Friedan (mod) argued for an end to sexual discrimination
Freedom/liberty
early liberals
- resented authoritarian government and the monarchy, at the expense of their subjects freedoms
Freedom/liberty
beliefs about freedom and liberty
- freedom is intertwined with law (Locke, ‘where there is no law, there is no liberty’)
- Freedom is a natural right.
- state must mediate between competing interests to ensure law and order
- absolute monarchies were illegitimate. Locke argued for a social contract state.
- limited government, so individuals could enoy the maximum amount of freedom within a legal framework. Laissez faire-capitalism as advocated by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations 1776
the social contract
Hobbes opinion on sovereignty and state governing
Leviathan Hobbes argued individuals would surrender their sovereignty to an all powerful monarch to protect them from the chaotic ‘state of nature’
- society could not exist before the creation of the state
the social contract
classic liberal Locke Two Treatsies of Government 1689: what was the social contract? what was Locke’s state of nature guided by? what should government be limited to?
- Locke’s state of nature was guided by rational reason and had ‘natural laws’
- Locke argued individuals would rationally conclude that they would best serve their own interests by contracting into a ‘state of law’
- Government should be limited to protecting the interests of the governed
the social contract
What did Locke believe about the state? what did he believe about the social contract and natural rights? what do individuals have the right to do?
- the state was a necessary evil
- individuals would exchange some of their natural rights to form a social contract with other individuals + create a state w separate branches of government
- individuals have the right to dissolve their governemnt if it doesn’t fulfil their individual needs
the social contract
Hobbes v. Locke state sovereignty
-
- Hobbes argued the state is sovereign
- Locke argued the state has no soveriengty and only exists to serve the people
JSM and freedom
JSM and freedom
2 main ideas
hint: what type of freedom
- freedom of speech, thought and religion unless posing a direct threat to others (negative freedom)
- individuals should be free from interference even if this means they are harming themselves
JSM and freedom
what is atomostic freedom? (classic libs)
society is made up of…? there is no…? state should not..? etc.
- society is made up of individuals with individual interests
- there is no broader ‘public interest’ or ‘common good’ for individuals to serve.
- state should not provide welfare as it creates dependancy
- rugged individualism wil make society more dynamic as individuals have to succeed on their own efforts
JSM and freedom
JSM later ideas on state
- state has a moral right to educate its citizens
JSM and freedom
TH green disagreement with atomistic society
- society was organic, not atomistic
- there was a common good
- public interest coexisted with individual interests
- limited state intervention was necessary to facilitate developmental individualism
positive freedom
JSM and freedom
TH green counter to negative freedom
what did it not recognise
- green argued this didnt recognise freedom could be threatened by social/economic inequality
- positive freedom allowed individuals to achieve their aspirations
positive freedom
JSM and freedom
Rawls argued for an [] state? What would it ensure? levels of interevention would involve what?
- an enabling state
- it would ensure an individuals live chances werent determined by their status at birth
- levels of intervention would involve taxation/state spending to ensure equality of opportunity by developmental individualism
positive freedom
negative fredom
what does negative freedom involve?
- absence of constaint
- ‘freedom from’ rather than ‘freedom to’ (Isiah Berlin 1909-1997)
- little gov interference where possible
positive freedom
what does positive freedom involve?
- state must assist individuals to achieve their aspirations
- state funded education
- enabling state
Carole Pateman 1940-
criticism of liberalism
female liberalism
- having male-centric view of freedom
- although many male writers have fallen foul of this
- liberalism has also acknowledged female rights
JSM
The Subjection of Women 1869 argued for what?? what was the contemporary opinion? what was the reaction to Mills ideas?
- argued for votes for women decades before enfranchisement
- 19th century opinon was it was absurd for women to vote
- mill was regularly ridiculed in the press for this idea
Wollestonecraft and Friedan
what did Wollestonecraft advocate for? what did she argue? How did Friedan add to this?
- formal equality
- for women to be able to pusue a career, playing a role in the economy
- she argued women were equally as rational as men
- Friedan championed equality of opportunity far more explicitly than Wollstonecraft in the mid 20th century
the state as a necessary evil
classic libs vs modern libs
- classic liberals: MINIMAL
- modern liberals: ENABLING
the state as a necessary evil: classic liberalism
what type of individualism? what type of attitude towards the economy? what must the state protect? when must it intervene?
- egotistical individualism
- laissez-faire attitude towards the economy
- the state must protect ‘life, liberty, and estate’
- it must intervene to protect law and order (police forces, armies, laws, and a judiciary)
the state as a necessary evil: classic liberalism
At Locke’s time of writing, what were the ops on the monarchy?
divine right of kings.
- direct contrast to absolute monarchies that dominated EUrope at Locke’s time of writing
- monarchs recieved legitimacy from the ‘divine right of kings’
- Locke disagreed with this, arguing for governemnt by consent.
the state as a necessary evil: classic liberalism
How should the government be organised? what type of ideas? what type of governemnt?
- rational rather than traditional ideas
- constitutional governemnt rather than traditional monarchy
- limited government
How do classic liberals wish to limit government
By limiting power: how would it be organised? what should it be based on? (whos principle)? what did this idea influence?
- sepration of powers: posited by the french philosopher Montesquieu would involve legislative, executive, and judiciary
- Locke’s principle of ‘government by consnent’ (elections - accountability)
- this influenced the creation of the US constitution
How do classic liberals wish to limit government
By limiting jurisdiction: what should individuals be protected from? economically, what should the state protect? what rule should the state govern by?
- protected from actions that might harm their freedom
- economicaly: the state should protect property rights, oversee the enforcement of legal contracts by law, etc.
- rule of law and foundational equality
How do classic liberals wish to limit government
by limiting the electorate: what type of democracy? what did JSM beleive about voting? what would popular democracy lead to in JSM’s opinion?
- representative democracy
- JSM believed only those with an appropriate formal education should be allowed to vote
- popular democracy might lead to ‘tyranny of the majority’
How do modern liberals wish to limit the government
JSMs adapted view of limited government, to allow? to assist the poor in…? which type of individualism did he promote? what did mill advocate for to advance potential?
- allow state intervention to assist the poor in social and economici njustice
- developmental individualism
- advocated for education to advance individual potential
How do modern liberals wish to limit the government
who should not be able to vote? what would be the result? what would this lead to?
- the illiterate should not be able to vote
- people who had recived university level education would recieve multiple votes
- this would lead to a progressive society
- both politicians and educated voters aggregated everyone’s interests
How do modern liberals wish to limit the government
T.H. Green’s reinterpretation of the state (larger role)
state should promote what? through..?
- equality of opportunity
- through education and reductions of inherited privilege influence
How do modern liberals wish to limit the government
JMK’s work The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money argued what…?
- against Smith’s laissez-faire promotion
- argued the state was capable of managing the economy to secure full employment
- keynesianism!!!!!!
How do modern liberals wish to limit the government
Rawls arues the state should…
- take a more active role in reducing inequality within society
How do modern liberals wish to limit the government
Friedan in The Feminine Mystique aruged the state was the structure to what?
- state was the structure in which to guarantee social and econominic equality of opportunity for women
- ‘a girl should not expect special privileges because of her sex, but neither should she “adjust” to prejudice and discrimination’
rationalism
the enlightenment influence on human nature
- positive view
- Locke argued ‘reason must be our last judge and guide in every thing’
- enlightenment thinkers believed humans were capable of reason and logic
How have classic and modern liberals been influenced by rationalistic id
classic libs: Locke and constitutional government, Adam smith and laissez faire, Mill and negative freedom
- Locke’s ideas of constitutional gov as opposed to monarchichal gov was hugely influential in the Bill of RIghts 1689
- Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations argued capitalism functions best when left alone
- Mill’s negative freedom has influenced UK and US in determining where intervention stops
How have classic and modern liberals been influenced by rationalistic id
modern libs: TH Green and positive freedom, Mill and universal education, Keynesian economics, Rawls equality…?
-TH Green positive freedom informed ideas of state welfare and incredibly rationalistic
- Mill’s later ideas such as universal education argued the state must enable developmental individualism (tho modern libs still want the free market)
- Keynesian economics was still rationalistic
- Rawl’s idea of eqality/social justice is rational thought
Equality and social justice
liberalism initially focused on what?
- foundational equality
- and the rule of law
- no individual was exempt from societal structures
equality and social justice
examples of foundational equality
- US Bill of Rights
- UK HRA
- protect natural rights
equality and social justice
difference between what foundational equality means?
Wollstonecraft
- classic libs ignored gender and racial inequality
- mod libs support full foundational equality
equality and social justice
Wollstonecraft beliefs over equality
- Wollstonecraft argued women were denied equality in property ownership
- women also faced discrimination in the workplace (continued by Friedan)
equality and social justice
MLK and equality
- demonstrated the US constitution didn’t acknowledge racial inequality
- civil rights act 1964 and voting rights act 1965 began the process of creating full foundational equality
equality and social justice
modern liberals still champion..
which minority groups
- women and racial minorities
- but also gay/trans people
equality and social justice
modern liberals argued foundational equality alone isnt enough to guarantee
- equality of opportunity
equality and social justice
to guarantee social justice, individuals must have access to
modern liberals
+ what did TH Green’s ideas influence
- state welfare
- TH Green’s ideas directly influenced the Beveridge Report, which was an intellectual bassi for the PWC in the UK
equality and social justice
Rawls book
- A Theory of Justice 1971
equality and social justice
Rawls and his ‘veil of ignorance’
A Theory of Justice 1971
- if individuals were asked to choose what type of society they would prefer, while being ignorant of their own circumstances, they would choose a society with little inequality
equality and social justice
Rawls beliefs about capitalism
- it could be justified, as long as those who do well economicaly do not do so at the expense of poorer indivuduals
equality and social justice
Rawls and society: what type of society did he believe we lived in?
- meritocracy: would produce unequal outcomes
- those with greater abilities, drive, creativity and work ethics deserve more rewards than those without those qualities
liberal democracy
Locke’s concept of liberal democracy is underpinned by his ____ theory?
which book did he argue this in?
- social contract theory: the government only holds power in trust for the people it serves
- Locke argued in Two Treatsies of Government 1689 it should be by consent.
liberal democracy
Burke, Mill: differing views about who should get the vote/type of democracy? What did Burke believe about representative democracy?
which work did Mill argue for his beliefs in?
hint: working class votes + representative decisions
- Burke: a voter elected a representative to make decisions based on his judgement and not that of the electorate
- Mill: in his work Considerations on Representative Government he argued plural votes for elites to prevent his class being swept aside by the working class.
- Mill favoured elite democracy
liberal democracy
defining features of modern liberal democracy
- free and fair elections
- constitutionalism
- safeguarding civil liberties and individual freedoms against tyranny of the majority
liberal democracy
what does Barbara Goodwin argue are the 6 key points of liberal democratic theory?
- Supremacy of the People
- Consent of the governed as the basis of legitimacy
- the rule of law and peaceful methods of conflict resolution
- the existence of a common good or public interest
- the value of the individual as a rational, moral, and active citizen
- political equality and equal civil rights for al individuals
liberal democracy
Supremacy of the People
what do classic vs modern libs believe about this principle?
- classic libs: broad idea of social contract does not equate to full democratic representation
- Modern libs: this means every adult should have a vote
liberal democratic theory
consent of the governed as the basis of legitimacy?
what do both forms of liberalism believe about this?
- unites both forms of liberalism: elections provide frequent accountability
liberal democratic theory
rule of law and peaceful methods of conflict resolution
- rule of law forms part of the social contract between the governed and the governors
liberal democratic theory
existence of a common good or public interest
what do classic vs modern libs believe about this principle?
hint: atomistic society
- classic liberalism struggled with this as it views society as atomistic and therefore collective will is difficult for classic liberals to support
- Developmental individualism of Mill and Green/social justice of Rawls base their version of society on collectives + welfare
liberal democratic theory
political equality and equal civil rights for all individuals
classic and modern libs
friedan
- classic and modern libs are united on this
- Friedan focuses on rights of women in both respects
- Rawls argues rights where necessary, and a rational choice for individuals to amke when attempting to ascertain the principles of a society
