key thinkers Flashcards
what is John Locke described as?
the father of liberalism
describe John Locke:
-an enlightenment icon and one of the classical liberals
-a highly controversial and incendiary figure in both England and America
-questioned and criticised the fundamental assumptions that underpinned gov. in the 17th century
-he published the book The Two Treatises of Government in 1690
What’s Locke’s view on human nature?
-humans are guided by rationalism - they’re naturally cooperative rather than violent or self-centred
-humans have an innate sense of natural rights, laws and justice
-overall a more optimistic view of human nature (rejects the notion of original sin)
What’s Locke’s view on the state of law?
-the state would be representative of the people
-powers of the monarch should be divisible, should be a limited government with a clear separation of powers and checks and balances
-laws would be a reflection of the natural sense of law
-the state of law would be voluntarily consented to by the people
-individual rights and freedoms would be protected e.g. through a written constitution
give a John Locke quote about natural rights, liberties and laws:
‘all mankind…being equal and independent, no one ought harm another in his life, health, liberty and possessions’
give a John Locke quote about how the state should protect citizens’ rights:
‘the end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedoms;
give a John Locke quote about individualism:
‘every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has the right to but himself’
who was Mary Wollstonecraft?
a liberal feminist
what was Wollstonecraft’s first book?
-Vindication of the rights of men, 1790
-supported the french revolution and the benefits of a republican government, equal opportunities and a constitution
-she liked the notions of equality in France’s new use of the term ‘citizen’
what was Wollstonecraft’s second book + its arguments?
-Vindication of the rights of women, 1792
-refused the argument that women weren’t rational
-argued women should have equal opportunities, and the state and society should protect and promote the rights of women
how did Wollstonecraft’s early feminism relate to liberalism’s core values?
-argued that as women had less individualism, England was limiting its abundance of intelligence, wisdom etc
-society needed formal equality for all individuals through a constitution that protected rights
-claimed women were complicit in their situation as they reinforced typical gender roles, and that to correct this education was necessary for all to realise their own potential
describe John Stewart Mill:
-prominent 19th century liberal thinker
-his political ideas are said to represent ‘transitional liberalism’ (in between classical and modern liberalism)
why did Mill think democracy carried dangers, and how did he think those dangers could be overcome?
-he coined the term ‘tyranny of the majority’
-he believed that a majority vote may not be wise because those in that majority may not have been the best suited to make that decision
-he wanted the electorate to elect liberally minded representatives to make decisions for them, and argues that first individuals need education (developmental individualism) so they can make informed decisions when electing representatives
what does Mill’s theory of utilitarianism state?
-self interests are defined by desire for pleasure or happiness and the wish to avoid pain
-principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number - government should always legislate on the basis of this
-the individuals alone can determine what is morally right
who was Green?
he was a British philosopher an social theorist in the second half o the 19th century
MODERN LIBERAL
Green’s idea of negative internal limits:
-anyone who can’t control their impulses is ‘carrying out the will of another, not his own’
-e.g. drug addiction causes you to do things you would prefer not to do
Green’s idea of positive internal limits:
-would be positive if you had these things
-e.g. a lack of education can leave someone ill equipped to make decisions that will take them towards their goals
Green’s concept of freedom:
-he made a more all-encompassing definition than classical liberals
-he believed in positive freedom rather than negative freedom because he though negative freedoms didn’t go far enough
-this was because he believed that merely removing restraints still allowed individuals to be exploited
-therefore he believed that liberty may also be threatened by social disadvantage and inequality
-he believed positive freedoms allowed all individuals to achieve self-actualisation, self-determination and self-mastery
what was Green’s view on human nature?
-he had an even more positive view on human nature than classical liberals
-he believed that humans’ egoism was constrained by some degree of altruism (selflessness)
-he believed that individuals have social responsibilities and are linked to other by ties of caring and empathy
who was Rawls?
-american philosopher of 20th century
how did Rawls develop the idea of Green about the state?
-he stated that the just society could only be achieved through a significant redistribution of wealth via an enabling state with extensive public spending and progressive taxation
what did Rawls set out in A Theory of Justice?
-he constructed a series of philosophical conditions
-‘the original position’ referred to individuals being asked to construct a society which would be superior to the current one, where there would be questions about how wealth and power should be distributed
-he termed the ‘veil of ignorance’ where individuals wouldn’t know what sort of individual they would be in this society, therefore not knowing whether they would be rich or poor would make people want to create a fairer society
how did Rawls distinct this from socialism?
-he argued that in this theory individuals would still want individual liberty, self-fulfilment and therefore significant inequalities of outcome
-he didn’t argue that the gap between the richest and the poorest should necessarily be narrowed
describe Betty Friedan:
-a feminist liberal (whereas Woolstonecraft was a liberal feminist)
-american
-wrote in the 1960s - social context = civil rights movement
what’s Friedan’s most famous book and what’s her main argument in it?
the feminine mystique, 1963
argues that gender was a serious hindrance to females
how did individualism lay at the heart of Friedan’s philosophy?
-she said that all individuals should be free to seek control of their own lives and the full realisation of their potential
-for example, women should not be forced to marry and her worth shouldn’t be defined by the number of children she has
what did Friedan argue was what condemned most women to underachievement?
-illiberal attitudes, rather than human nature, as she believed it was not within human nature to discriminate against women
what did Friedan argue encouraged these illiberal attitudes?
-society’s ‘cultural channels’
-e.g. schools, organised religion, the media etc
-she said these channels of ‘cultural conditioning’ left many women convinced their opportunity was determined by human nature rather than their own rationality and enterprise
how is it clear that Friedan was a liberal as well as a feminist?
-she did NOT encourage violence or illegal methods as a way of pursuing change
-instead she said progress was possible by legal equality brought about by the procedures of the liberal state
what radical feminist argument did Friedan reject?
-rejected the idea that the state was ‘patriarchal’ and forever under the control of the dominant gender
