Chapter 3- Lecture Flashcards
What is a political ideology?
A package of ideas and beliefs about government, society, the economy, and human nature that inspire and affect political action. Each ideology provides a different perspective that is used to understand and evaluate how the world actually works. Most ideologies also provide a vision of what the world should be like and propose a means of political action to achieve their objectives.
What is each ideology premised on?
A certain account of human nature
-assume that humans have fixed, static nature
What does each ideology allow us to assess?
whether society is in need of a change
-ideologies give us a measuring stick to determine good or bad
Why can we think of an ideology as a ledge–convex or concave.
Makes some things clear, others distorted.
-doesn’t give you an objective reality, only a narrow view.
What three ideologies are a product of the same thing that have changed over time?
liberalism, conservatism, socialism
What are the three types of liberalism?
1) Classical liberalism
2) Welfare (reform) liberalism
3) Neo liberalism
What is the significant of the Benjamin Franklin quote to liberalism?
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”
-liberty and freedom are interchangeable
Essential because: liberalism is part of being human –> natural freedom. Freedom is inseparable from us. Maintains the integrity of our person. Exercising our autonomy.
What is liberalism a product of?
The Enlightenment
What is the good society according to the liberal? What is the role of gov’t?
Enables natural freedom, maintains the integrity of our person, allows us to exercise our autonomy.
- Gov’t plays a small role
- Gov’t will secure your person, protect citizens and liberty, protect private property rights.
Is it okay in times of terror for some members of society to have their liberties infringed up (liberalism)?
Liberty they are giving up is akin to the liberty you have –> your rights could be next. Citizen rights are not something that is partial. Once you say it’s okay for one group’s rights to be restricted, you are opening the door for yours to be restricted.
-If this is the case, then rights are not universal.
What is limited government formed from?
Mistrust of government
Why is classical liberalism important? It moves us from the___centred period to the___period.
- god
- modern
What did Locke believe the building block of the good society was?
the individual
Liberals believe that any kind of political power must be___.
constrained
What are the 4 things liberalism believes about human nature?
1) Rational individual reason (reason is something that prevails in use because we make self-interested choices)
2) Self interest (you should be left to your own devices)
3) Competitive (naturally we are in competition for resources)
4) Acquisitive (we want private property, role of gov’t is to secure private property).
What is the key value of liberalism (the goal)?
The goal is freedom or liberty
-The “key” is to make choices
What does the liberal plan or program focus on?
how to achieve autonomy
What is the best way to guarantee freedom within society according to liberalism?
- Limited gov’t
- Minimalist state
- Essentially, the role of government is to promote your freedom
Why does liberalism offer us a very “thin” concept of society?
It’s not thick because most of what happens in the good life rests on the shoulder of the individual.
What are the three types of liberalism? (the evolution)
- Classical liberalism
- Reform liberalism
- Neo liberalism
What is the difference between the three types of liberalism? What stays the same?
- What is different is the positioning of the state, role of government
- The end goal stays the same, all that changes is the means to get there.
What has changed over time between the three types of liberalism?
The program. Specifically, the central question revolves around the appropriate role of the tate in the lives of its citizens
What is the key difference between Classical liberalism and reform liberalism?
the role of the state
What does reform liberalism believe about the state?
that it needs to do more.