Reason Flashcards
What is the liberal case for freedom strongly linked to?
A faith in reason
What did Enlightenment desire to do?
Release humankind from its bondage to superstition and ignorance
Who were the key enlightenment thinkers?
Rousseau, Kant, Smith and Bentham
How did Enlightenment rationalism influence liberalism?
It strengthened the faith in the individual and freedom
What do liberals believe humans are?
Rational, thinking creatures
What are humans capable of?
Defining and pursuing their own interests
Why are liberals biased against paternalism
It prevents individuals from making their own moral choices and learning from their own mistakes
How to liberals view history and why
In terms of progress
Because they want to move forward
What does the expansion of knowledge allow?
Humans to shape the world for the better
What does reason give humans the capacity to do?
Take charge of their own lives and fashion their own destinies
How does reason allow advancement?
Each generation is able to advance beyond the last as the stock of human knowledge and understanding progressively increases
What does a belief in reason lead to emphasis on?
Education
How can people better themselves?
Through the acquisition of knowledge and abandonment of prejudice and superstition
What is education a vital means of?
Promoting personal self-development
What are liberals generally optimistic about?
Human nature
