Liberalism

Question 1

list the classical liberalist thinkers

Answer 1

• John Locke
• J.S Mill (early writings)

Question 2

list the modern liberalist thinkers

Answer 2

• J.S Mill (latest writings)
• Betty Frieden
• Mary Wollenstonecraft
• T.H Green

Question 3

what is foundational equality?

Answer 3

a liberal belief that all individuals are born with natural rights which entitle them to liberty, the pursuit of happiness and avoidance of pain - all individuals are treated equally under the rule of law

Question 4

what did Locke believe in for individualism?

Answer 4

• he believed in foundational equality
• individuals are capable of intellectually informed ideas but are self- interested

Question 5

where do classical and modern liberals agree/disagree with individualism?

Answer 5

(-)classical liberals believe in negative freedom, where the state doesn’t interfere, whereas modern liberals believe in positive freedom, where the state interfere to make society a fairer place

(+) classical liberals believe that freedom of the individual is sacrosanct, modern liberals agree to an extent, but believe that a hand out should be given to help achieve self reliance

(+) they both agree on the concept of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but modern liberals believe that only an interventionist state can achieve this, whereas classical liberals believe that these are innate

(-) modern liberals advocate for state intervention, but classical liberals argue for egotistical individualism

Question 6

what did John Rawls believe for individualism?

Answer 6

ones social class and circumstance (race, gender etc) determines whether or not an individual thrived or not in society

Question 7

what were Mary Wollenstonecraft and Betty Frieden’s attitudes towards individualism?

Answer 7

they argued for toleration of men towards women, wanting to end sexual discrimination

Question 8

who said ‘where there is no law, there is no liberty’?

Answer 8

John Locke

Question 9

what was John Lockes idea on freedom?

Answer 9

• freedom is a natural right, and the government was needed to protect the rights of liberty, life etc.
• he believed that we need a ‘social contract’, where individuals are governed by consent, and where the people are guaranteed protection and in exchange give away freedoms
• the state should be a limited government, and allow individuals to have freedom within a legal framework

Question 10

what were J.S Mills ideas on freedom? (before and after modified views)

Answer 10

• restraint by the state, allowing individuals to be free to do whatever they wanted as long as it didn’t harm others (harm principle)
• state should be tolerant on diverse opinions
• individual liberty is essential for the development of the individual in terms of creativity, culture, and intellect
• although he advocated for limited state intervention, he later on changed these views, arguing the state should intervene to help individuals obtain developmental individualism

Question 11

T.H Greens view on freedom and the role of the state

Answer 11

• believed in positive freedom that allowed individuals to achieve their aspirations with support