liberalism state foundations

Question 1

what do liberals believe about the foundations of the state?

Answer 1

• rejection of anarchism
• rejection of ‘traditional’ states
• the contractual state

Question 2

why do liberals reject anarchism?

Answer 2

• liberals are different from anarchy as they believe in self-realisation, self-determination and self-fufilment and are all best served by the existence of a state, rather than leaving individuals in a condition of anarchy.
• liberals do not accept that any kind of state is preferable to anarchy, they insiste that the state must meet certain conditions so that individuals are not left worse off than they were in the state of nature

Question 3

why do liberals reject ‘traditional’ states?

Answer 3

• medieval states are typically marked by: divine right of kings, monarchical absolutism, arbitary power and hereditary power
• early liberals, like Locke argued that such states are both morally illegitimate, in they they do not respect natural rights, and intellectually illegitimate, in that they were an affront to mankind’s rationality and cognitive potential.

Question 4

why do liberals believe in a contractual state?

Answer 4

• liberals support Locke’s ‘government by consent’. locke insisted that the state has legitimacy only if those under its jurisdiction agree to be under its jurisdiction. far from being the subjects of the state, the pople under the liberal state become its ‘citizens’, with ultimate control over those who govern
• locke stated ‘government should always be the servant, not master of the people’
• this idea is linked to ‘government by contract’, or what Locke dubbed a social contract
• they believe that individuals will only contract out of the state of nature and contract into a formal state if they are promised advantages in return
• hence if those advantages stop, the people are entiled to declare the state illegitimate, cancel the contract and return to the state of nature