liberalism

Question 1

what is individualism?

Answer 1

-belief in the importance of the individual over any group or collective body.
-each of us as individuals share the same status.

Question 2

what do liberalists believe that humans are?

Answer 2

-rationalist

Question 3

what do liberalists agree about society?

Answer 3

-society is largely nothing more than a collection of individuals who are self-seeking and reliant.
-society should be based around securing as much individual freedom as possible
-civil society is underpinned by a network of autonomous groups and associations in which individuals voluntarily choose to participate and engage.
-we are born equal and have equal entitlement.
-equality of opportunity.
-fair and even start to the race of life.
-social justice.

Question 4

how do modern and classical liberals disagree over society?

Answer 4

-individualism, classic liberals Atomistic and egoism and modern liberals alturism and social responsibility.
-classic liberals believe in negative freedom whereas modern liberals believe in positive freedom.

Question 5

what did liberals agree on over the state?

Answer 5

-the state is necessary to avoid disorder but evil as it has the potential to remove individual liberty and thus should be limited.
-government by consent, there should be a social contract and people will obey the law as long as government upholds their rights.
-constitutional or limited government, checks and balances on political power and peoples rights are protected from it.

Question 6

how do liberals disagree over the state?

Answer 6

-Classical, small state, nightwatchman state.
-Modern, larger state larger economic role, welfare state and redistribution of wealth, enabling state

Question 7

what is negative freedom and who endorses?

Answer 7

-Classic liberalism
-removal of external constraints for example rolling back the state
-limited role for the state as it is viewed as the biggest constraint on personal freedom.

Question 8

what is positive freedom and who endorses?

Answer 8

-larger role for the state can enable those on limited incomes to lead a more fulfilled and meaningful existence.
-state seen as the biggest guarantor of individual freedom.

Question 9

what do liberalist agree over the economy?

Answer 9

-economy must be based upon private property ownership.
-there should be a system of free markets with a limited role for government.
-the rule of law should be in place to protect private property rights.
-system should be based on capitalism.
-meritocracy.

Question 10

what do liberalists disagree over the economy?

Answer 10

-classic liberals believe in laissez-faire economy
-modern liberals believe that markets are not self-regulating, Keynes

Question 11

what is atomism?

Answer 11

-the belief that society is made up of a collection of self-interested and largely self-sufficient individuals or atoms rather than social groups.

Question 12

what is egoism?

Answer 12

-concern for ones own welfare or interests or the theory that the pursuit of self-interest is an ethical priority.

Question 13

what is meritocracy?

Answer 13

-rule by those with merit, intelligence plus effort
-society in which social position is determined exclusively by ability and hard work.

Question 14

what is Laissez-faire economics?

Answer 14

-‘leave to do’ the doctrine that economic activity should be entirely free from government interference.

Question 15

key modern thinkers?

Answer 15

-John Rawls
-Betty Friedan?

Question 16

key classical thinkers?

Answer 16

-John Locke
-Mary Wollstonecraft
-John Stuart Mill

Question 17

what were John Locke’s contributions and views on Liberalism?

Answer 17

-the true state would be one created by mankind to serve mankind’s interests and would arise only from the consent of those who would be governed by it.
-human nature guided by rationalism and the state of nature was underpinned by natural laws, natural liberties and natural rights.
-state always reflect the principle that the citizens had voluntarily consented to accept the states rulings in return for the state improving their situation and upholding their rights, social contract theory.
-because of its contractual nature the state had to embody a limited government.

Question 18

what were John Mill’s contributions and views on Liberalism?

Answer 18

-Negative freedom, argued that freedom mainly involved an absence of restraint.
-harm principle, notion that an individuals actions should always be tolerated by either the state or other individuals unless it could be demonstrated that such actions could harm others.
-government by consent would be compromised if the wishes of some individual citizens were overwhelmed by the wishes of most individual citizens, feared that a democratic state had the potential to create a tyranny of the majority.

Question 19

what were John Rawls contributions and views on liberalism?

Answer 19

-greater social and economic equality necessary to ensure a the just society where all lives could be rich and fulfilled, this could only be provided by an enabling state.
-veil of ignorance.

Question 20

what were Betty Friedan’s contributions and views on liberalism?

Answer 20

-a concern for individualism, insisted that all individuals should be free to seek control over their own lives argued that gender was a hinderance to women.
-illiberal attitudes in society rather than human nature which condemned most women to underachivement.

Question 21

liberal perspective of human nature?

Answer 21

-view human nature as a set of innate qualities intrinsic to the individual, placing little or no emphasis on social or historical conditioning. humans are self-seeking and largely self-reliant creatures but they are also governed by reason and are capable of personal development, particularly through education.

Question 22

what were Wollestonecrafts belief in society?

Answer 22

-advocated for equality for men and women argued women were not less intelligent but simply did not have the same education opportunities.
-the mind has no gender
-formal equality, women entitled to same civil liberties from the state as men.