Liberalism

Question 1

What are the two strands?

Answer 1

Classic and Liberal

Question 2

What are the 6 key ideas?

Answer 2

Individualism, rationalism, equality, liberal democracy, freedom, mechanistic state

Question 3

What do classic liberals believe in terms of individualism?

Answer 3

Egotistical individualism- little state intervention, self-reliance

Question 4

What do Modern liberals believe in terms of individualism?

Answer 4

Developmental individualism- people’s circumstances affect opportunities, interventionist state can guarantee freedoms, hand ups

Question 5

Who is sovereign in a liberal society?

Answer 5

The individual

Question 6

What state do classic liberals believe in?

Answer 6

Minimal Night watchmen state- laissez-faire, little to no intervention

Question 7

What state do modern liberals believe in?

Answer 7

Enabling state- promote opportunity, creates conditions where people can help themselves

Question 8

What are the different views on taxation?

Answer 8

CL- taxation is an infringement on freedom. ML- taxation is a key process for positive freedom

Question 9

What is the general view of how the economy should run? How do strands slightly differ?

Answer 9

Capitalism CL- free market ML- keynesianism

Question 10

What does freedom rely on?

Answer 10

Social contract, limited govt, harm principle, constitution, rule of law

Question 11

What do liberals reject when thinking about power?

Answer 11

Absolute monarch/state power and arbitrary use of power

Question 12

What are the two different types of freedom? Who thinks what?

Answer 12

CL- Negative freedom (free from state interference) ML- positive freedom (freedom to do something with state support- social mobility)

Question 13

What is a liberal democracy?

Answer 13

A type of democracy where there is an emphasis on the protection of individual rights and liberties, where the rule of law is strictly adhered to and where government is trusted via social contract and have little intervention

Question 14

Do classic liberals believe in universal suffrage?

Answer 14

No- fear of tyranny of the majority

Question 15

What are some reasons for differing views?

Answer 15

Historical context, religion, sex, class, theory vs practice, starting point vs outcome

Question 16

What do all liberals think about equality?

Answer 16

Should be foundation and formal equality, everyone should be treated impartially and fairly

Question 17

What do modern liberals believe about equality?

Answer 17

There should be equality of opportunity

Question 18

What did Classic liberals ignore when it came to equality?

Answer 18

Gender and racial inequalities

Question 19

What do liberals think about rationalism?

Answer 19

Positive view of humans, humans are rational and capable of logic and reason. Have free will (rejects religious determination)

Question 20

What type of society do classic liberals believe in?

Answer 20

Atomistic/ meritocracy

Question 21

Name the key thinkers.

Answer 21

Locke, Wollstonecraft, Mill, Friedan, Rawls

Question 22

Who did Locke believe the Govt should serve?

Answer 22

The people

Question 23

Who did Locke mainly express the views of?

Answer 23

Property owning men

Question 24

What were some of Locke’s key beliefs?

Answer 24

Social contract, states need to protect natural rights and liberties, law makers should be separated from law enforcers

Question 25

What did Wollstonecraft believe women not having the vote violated?

Answer 25

Government by consent

Question 26

What did Wollstonecraft argue?

Answer 26

Women were denied individual freedom and formal equality, formal education should be available to everyone, men cause women to be seen as inferior by subjugating them

Question 27

What ideas did Mill create?

Answer 27

Harm principle and negative freedom

Question 28

What is the harm principle?

Answer 28

You have absolute freedom to do what you please, so long as it doesn't harm others or interfere with their rights

Question 29

What did Mill divide human actions into?

Answer 29

Self-regarding and other-regarding (other harmed freedom of others)

Question 30

What did Friedan set up?

Answer 30

National Organisation for Women

Question 31

What did Friedan believe?

Answer 31

Women were held back, should be rejection of oppressive laws and views, wanted wider opportunities for women, level playing field

Question 32

How did Friedan want to achieve her ideas?

Answer 32

By making reforms to the existing structure of society

Question 33

What did Rawls believe?

Answer 33

Should be minimum financial disparity, individual freedom without excessive inequality, there'll always be inequality but should be small, wanted poorest members of society to be economically independent

Question 34

What is the difference principle? Who made it?

Answer 34

Enjoy as much freedom as possible as long as it's not at the expense of others. Rawls

Question 35

What is the veil of ignorance?

Answer 35

Rawls's idea that people will develop fair principles of distribution only if they are ignorant of their position in society, so in order to get objective judgments, the decision makers must not know how the decision would affect them.