LIBS 7002 FINALS Flashcards
What is liberalism?
Liberalism is a moral political theory based on the belief that an individual’s well-being, and rights to life, freedom (of speech, religion, life path, etc.), and property, should be the basis of a just society.
What political system does liberalism oppose?
Liberalism opposes authoritarianism and systems where governments have extensive control over individuals’ lives and limited respect for individual rights and freedoms.
Therefore, what is the main concern of liberalism?
The main concern of liberalism is to protect individual freedoms and limit the power of government, ensuring people can live their lives as they choose, without undue interference, while promoting fairness and equal opportunity for all.
What happened in the 13th century with the signing of the Magna Carta?
Modern liberalism was planted in England, which weakened the unilateral power of the King over his minions.
The Magna Carta started a process that eventually enshrined a number of individual rights in English law. What were those individual rights?
A right to:
1) trial by jury and equality before the law
2) habeas corpus (no arrest except by breaking the law judged by peers)
3) have religion
4) leave and return to one’s home country
5) work
Modern liberalism was fleshed out as a comprehensive political philosophy by thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, John Stuart Mill, and John Rawls. While they differed in their emphasis and recommendations, what core idea were these thinkers committed to believing?
They all believed that individuals were and ought to be fundamentally free to live as they chose.
What did John Locke argue regarding liberalism?
John Locke believed that people have the right to do what they want with their own lives and property, as long as they follow the natural law, without needing permission from others.
Explain maximum liberty
Maximum liberty means having as much freedom as possible to do what you want, as long as it doesn’t take away other people’s rights or freedoms.
Explain negative rights and give an example.
Negative rights are rights that protect a person from being interfered with by others. For example, the right to free speech means others can’t stop you from expressing your opinions.
Explain positive rights and give an example.
Positive rights are rights that entitle a person to something, often provided by others. For instance, the right to healthcare means others (like the government) must ensure you have access to medical care when needed.
What is virtue ethics?
Virtue ethics is an ethical theory that emphasizes an individual’s character rather than following a set of rules. It is a practice-based system of habituation, character traits, and disposition developed by imitating virtuous people.
Why is virtue ethics a good theory?
Virtue ethics is a good theory because if people focus on being good, the right actions will follow effortlessly (eudaimonia).
What is Euadaimonia?
Eudaimonia (translated as “life well lived”) is a life of striving, pushing oneself to one’s limits, and finding success which results in one’s happiness.
What is Marx’s liberalism?
Marxism, started by Karl Marx, aims for a society without classes where production is shared by everyone, eliminating capitalist exploitation. It focuses on class struggle and wants to create a worker-led government leading to a stateless, communist society.
What is North American liberalism?
North American liberalism supports individual rights, private ownership, and a market economy, with some government help to reduce social inequalities. It values democracy, personal freedom, and gradual changes within the capitalist system, not a complete revolution.
