Liberalism Flashcards
What is Liberalism?
a philosophy that emphasises freedom of individual
Principles of Liberalism
- individualism
- freedom and liberty
- the state as a ‘necessary evil’
- rationalism
- equality and social justice
- liberal democracy
Who is associated with ‘individualism’ and what does he say?
Immanuel Kant
all individuals are unique and have equal worth
What is categorical imperative?
people should not be treated as instruments to achieve a particular goal
people should be regarded for their own value
What is egoistical liberalism?
society is a collection of self seeking individuals that should be self reliant
self reliance over dependency
What is the most important liberal value?
freedom and liberty
What is the liberal view on freedom?
freedom must be exercised under the law
we still need the law to uphold freedom
Locke on Freedom
freedom is upheld by the law
the aim of the law is to protect and uphold freedom
John Stuart Mill on Freedom
negative and positive freedom
‘Negative Freedom’
individuals should only be constrained when their actions harm others
‘Positive Freedom’
individuals should be able to control their own destiny and achieve self-fulfilment
Jeremy Bentham on Freedom
governments sole purpose is to protect individual freedom and property to any threats
Jeremy Bentham on the state
government should be as minimal as possible
its sole purpose is to protect individual freedom and property to any threats
Liberalism on the state
negative view of the state
suspicious of the power of the state
What is the state needed to do according to Liberals?
necessary to avert disorder and protect the vulnerable
What type of government do liberals favour?
limited government
separation of powers so there is no concentration of power in one institution
What systems that exist in western democracies do liberals support?
- devolution in UK
- US ‘bill of rights’
Give some examples of limitation on the state that Liberals would agree with
- free and fair elections
- magna carta
- human rights act
- habeas corpus
Liberals on Human Nature
human reason - humans should be free to make their own decisions without needing to be guided by external authorities
What is the liberal view on rationalism?
- faith in reason and science rather than religion, authority or tradition
- we should all take responsibility for the choices we make
What do liberals believe should always come before conflict?
reasoned debate
liberals are wary of conflict
Liberals on Social Justice
Meritocracy - people should be rewarded for their efforts and abilities rather than their status at birth
Two types of equality that Liberals are interested in
- equality of opportunity
- foundational equality
What do liberals believe about equality?
people should be awarded based on their different abilities and potential
How does the views on equality differ between Modern and Classic Liberals?
Modern Liberals - there should be some state intervention to narrow inequalities
Classic Liberals - inequality can act as an incentive for people to try and better themselves by working harder
What do Liberals say about Democracy?
regular and free elections allows the power of the state to be limited
Social Contract meaning
people must agree to be governed in order for society to run smoothly, there must be an agreement to give up some freedom in the interest of security
Modern Liberals on Liberal Democracy
excessive democracy may lead to ‘tyranny of the majority’
therefore argue for the protection of minority rights
What is Locke’s main principle?
the idea of social contract
society, state and government are based on a voluntary agreement or contract
Locke on the state
government should be limited by consent from below
role is to uphold our basic liberties and protect us from the threat of foreign invasion and social disorder
Locke on equality
natural rights and natural laws - people are equal in rights and must respect each others rights
rulers and citizens are all subject to the law
Locke on human nature
individuals are rational entities
What do humans acknowledge about our liberties according to Locke?
due to the power of reason and rationality we fully acknowledge that our liberties are best protected via governance by the state
What idea does Locke reject?
anarchism
“where laws do not exist, man has no freedom”
a stateless society is one which we would be devoid of freedom
What is John Stuart Mill’s main proposal?
harm principle
What does John Stuart Mill mean by ‘harm principle’?
humans should be free to do whatever they want as long as it doesn’t affect other people
John Stuart Mill on human nature
humans are sovereign entities capable of exercising free will
What does John Stuart Mill believe threatens the liberal goal of freedom?
disposition of custom - warns against the mediocrity of public opinion
he believes there is a tendency to tell everyone to act in the same manner which crushes self expression
What does John Stuart Mill propose in order to guard against the disposition of custom?
we must avoid forcing our opinion on others unless we are certain of their truth
same way Locke is suspicious of religious tolerance - using force to change someones beliefs is irrational
John Stuart Mill on the state
state intervention needed to prevent the poor from enduring injustice e.g. tolerance, flat tax on income, inheritance tax
What is John Rawls’ main proposal?
‘veil of ignorance’
Veil of Ignorance
promotes impartial decision making
denies decision makers access to potentially biassing information e.g. class gender race talents etc
What is the benefit of the ‘Veil of Ignorance’?
- people would not be certain about how successful they would be
- therefore people would agree on the importance of equal rights including freedom of speech and right of assembly
Rawls on Society
under the veil of ignorance people would want a fairer society with adequate housing, safe neighbourhoods, a good education system and an unbiased criminal justice system
Rawls on Equality
everyone has an equal entitlement to certain basic rights
acceptance that there would always be degree of inequality but a just society should aim to minimise the difference between outcomes for the best off and the poorest
What are Mary Wollstonecraft’s main proposals?
- women are no more or less rational than men
- both should be treated equally as rational human beings
Wollstonecraft on human nature
women are rational, independent beings capable of reason
Wollstonecraft on equality
formal equality - women are entitled to the same civil liberties as men
equality of opportunity - valid for both sexes
What does formal equality achieve according to Wollstonecraft?
women would be able to experience a life of genuine liberty, free from the constraints of patriarchy, legal and political rights
What is the key to achieving formal equality according to Wollstonecraft?
education - it would enable a woman to gain self respect and to realise her potential
Wollstonecraft on Freedom
female liberty comes from formal equality
Wollstonecraft on equality of opportunity
recognises that as a result of biology women were more likely to opt for marriage and motherhood
she wanted women to have the opportunity to choose between the two routes
Friedan on equality
she wishes to reform society so that women could easily choose between a career or domestic role depending on what they wanted
this would result in true equal rights
Friedan on the state
any laws which prevented equality of opportunity for women should be repealed
Friedan on society
society is responsible for conditioning women to take on domestic roles rather than innate biological tendencies
Friedan on human nature
women should be seen just as capable as men of having successful careers in a number of different fields
Friedan on Freedom
the lack of freedom women have leads to unhappiness and unfulfillment
