Summary of Liberalism Flashcards
human nature
Liberals emphasise the importance of the individual — they view humans as rational individuals that are capable of understanding their own interests are making their own decisions
Stress the positive potential of human nature — Rationalism
People should be free to make the most of their talents and enjoy equal opportunity
Classical liberals — People should only be restricted when their actions risk harming others or may restrict the freedom of others
Modern liberals — More conscious of social injustice and favour some state intervention to tackle this
the state
The concept of social contract is central to liberalism — The state is based on the consent of the people who agree to give up some freedom in return for security provided by the state
A government without the consent of the people lacks legitimacy
According to the mechanistic theory, people created the state to serve them and act in their interests
Believe in limited government with checks and balances to prevent abuses of power, the state should not deprive people of civil liberties
Often support the decentralisation of power in which power and authority is dispersed between different levels of government and not concentrated at the centre
Classical and modern liberals disagree on how limited the state should be (enabling state versus nightwatchman state)
society
A good society is one where there is tolerance of different values customs and beliefs
classical liberals downplay the importance of society, they see it primarily as a collection of independent individuals pursuing their own interests
advocate meritocracy where individuals succeed through their ability and hard work
Believe in foundational equality (everyone in society is born equal)
Believe in formal equality (everyone is entitled to the same legal and political rights)
Modern liberals — this is not enough to guarantee true social equality, people should be free to make their own choices but society is more than the sum of the individuals it contains
Modern liberals — Some state intervention is needed to combat poverty and enable people to flourish so a fair and just society can be developed in which inequalities are minimised
the economy
Laissez faire capitalism
Classical liberals — Strong emphasis on free market capitalism, the economy is best served by limited state intervention
Modern liberals — Also advocate freemarket capitalism but are much more conscious of the failings of the market and argue that some state intervention is needed to offset the negative impacts of the free market economy
Modern liberals — State intervention is needed in the economy to promote sustainable growth and limit the injustices associated with large-scale unemployment and poverty
