Modern liberalism Flashcards
What are the characteristics of modern liberalism?
Positive liberty and social justice
Enlarged and establishing state
Constitutional reform and liberty
What is meant by the term positive liberty?
Denotes the belief that individuals lift alone are often inhabited rather than free
Such as individuals may need enabling so that they are free to exercise individual talents
What is meant by the term negative liberty?
This is a notion of freedom that involves individuals being left alone to pursue their destiny
Any attempt to interfere with individual action may therefore be judged an infringement of liberty
Constitutional reform/liberal democracy?
Lib reform
‘Written codified constitution
‘Devolution
‘Electoral reform
‘Accountable house of lords
Critic of constitutional reform?
Fine diluting a representative democracy to protect liberal values e.g. HRA to effectively transfer power from parliament to elect judges in ECHR
Thinker Green believed what was holding individuals back?
Unrestrained pursuit of profit as advocates by classix liberty given rise for new forms of poverty and injustice
Affecting self determination and realisation
Green- use of business to criticise negative freedom?
Business that wishes to maximise profits, negative freedom justifies their ability to higher the cheapest labour possible
e.g. employing children rather than adults, women rather than men
Economic freedom leading to exploitation of the freedom to starve
How did Green develop the liberal idea of freedom to resolve this issue?
More cooperative, helping other help themselves allowing certain individuals to act in the way that would have been impossible had they simply be left alone
Examples of enabling in UK and US primeministers?
Blair- Minimum wage and free school meals
Atlee- NHS
G Bush- No child left behind
Obama- Obamacare
FRD- New deal
What can positive liberty do Green?
Allowing individuals to flourish and grow morally and intellectually to achieve industry (developmental individual)
-In modern capitalist society poverty and inequality should be tackled to maintain condition w/o which free exercise of human faculties is impossible
-Liberty needs to be redefined so no longer able to restraint, pos freedom can allow others to achieve individually
-Led to roll of the state, the idea that it was a restriction on freedom to idea that state could promote freedom by protecting people’s from social injustice
Constitutional reform?
Codified constitution
Devolution
Electoral refp,
Reform HoL
Universal suffrage
-HRA- illiberal as transfer of power to elect officials to unelect judges. But some liberal support it
-Direct democracy ‘tyranny of the majority’ Mill
Rawls idea on the state?
Extension of the state, state spending, more laws, more tax, more state bureaucracy achieves equality of pos and neg freedom
-Enlarging state will require sacrifice on earnings for tax, enabling principle consistent with liberal principle of govt
Critics of Rawls ideas on the state?
Betrays fundamental principle of classic liberals blurring between liberalism and socialism
Rawls- what was his priority?
Improve society less fortunate
Priority was to improve the economic social condition of society’s most deprived members
-So unfortunately we must exploit individual potential to control their lives
-2nd concern is gap between poorest and richest
Betty Freidan social liberalism?
Tolerance
Western societys hold back on innate factors like ethnicity, gender, sexuallity and diability
-We solve this by more legislation, further state regulation and positive discrimination
Freidan example of social liberalism?
Equal opportunity communism EEOC Kennedy requires those managing projects financed by state must take affirmative action hiring employee from race and minority
-In UK, race relation act and sex discrimination act, criminalised negative discrimination against ethnic minority and women
How dud Freidan argue updates were consistent with liberalism?
Laws criminality sexual discrimination e.g. designated to prevent some female individuals have their freedom harmed by the laws accompanied by interventions like the EEOC
-Agencies still consist with the liberal state organisation namely the protection and advancement of natural right
Modern liberalism vs Classical- individualism differences?
ML- liberty individualism being enabled
CL- liberty is individual being left alone
Modern liberalism vs Classical- individualism similarity’s?
Both see individualism as the good of politics and society
Difference merely about how to achieve it
Modern liberalism vs Classical- state differences?
ML- Enlarged state
CL- a minimal championed state
Modern liberalism vs Classical- state similarity’s?
Constitutional (limited) state and govt by consent
Modern liberalism vs Classical- economy differences?
CL- Tax is theft
ML- Increased tax for positive freedom
Modern liberalism vs Classical- economy similarities?
Both believed capitalism and oppose state ownership of the economy
Modern liberalism vs Classical- capitalism differences?
ML- Favors lassiez faie capatalism state detached
ML- Keysian capatalism state seek to manage market force
Modern liberalism vs Classical- democracy differences?
CL- Ambient view of democracy priority instead of the interest of property ownership
ML- Championed representative democracy
Modern liberalism vs Classical- human nature similarities?
Both have optimistic and human potential
Modern liberalism vs Classical- capitalism similarity’s?
Both believed capitalism and oppose state ownership of the economy
Green- view on society?
Reject that society was composed of egotistical individuals driven only by self interest, claims human belief motivated by desire to promote common good
Argued personal happiness deprived not by self inaugeration and self gratification
Green- view on state?
-Promotes widest possible degree of choice opportunity for everyone
-State prioritising individual liberty and be led individuals shall still encourage to pursue self interest maintained liberty and happiness of social dimension, individuals were not oblivious to happiness of others
John Rawls on human nature?
Mankind is selfish yet empathetic, valuing both individual liberty and the plight of those around them
Betty Friedan on human nature?
Human nature has evolved in a way that discourage self advancement among women
John Rawls on the state?
State should enable less fortunate individuals to advance via public spending and services
John Rawls on the economy?
Free market capitalism should be tempered by the states obligation to advanced its citizens
John Rawls provenance?
Fought in pacific in WW2 and it was brutal
Is interested in what’s fairness and justice
Book published in 1971 US civil rights and Vietnam war so more aware of the plight of the vulnerable
Also democracy and universal suffrage are a part of the consensys
-Gave his brothers diphtheria and pneumonia, they died he survived
Betty Freidan on the state?
State should legislate to prevent continued discrimination against female individuals
Betty Freidan on the economy?
Free market capitalism should be an ally of female emancipation if allied to legislate pre including sexual discrimination
Fredian provenance?
1970’s
White, m/c collage educated housewife
Stopped working to being up children having the problem with no name
Lived in suburbs with similar women seeing them take sedatives to survive
Thomas Hill Green provenance?
Victorian living through the industrial revolution
Saw poverty growing from child labour and lack of state regulation
Challenged negative freedom with positive liberty
Married to a women who promoted girls educations
State should provide universal education
Set up Sommerville college, oxford
Campaigned for mens right to vote w/o property
