politics - liberalism

what is liberalism

a political ideology that promotes liberty and rights guaranteed by a constitutional state based on the consent of those ruled by that state

what are the strands in liberalism

• classical liberalism

• modern liberalism

who are the keythinkers for liberalism

• john locke

• john stuart mill

what strand does john locke fall into

classical liberalism

what strand does john stuart mill fall into

classical liberalism

what strand does john rawls fall into

modern liberalism

what strand does mary wollstonecraft fall into

classical liberalism

what strand does betty friedan fall into

modern liberalism

what do all liberals agree on

that people should have rights and freedoms

do all liberals believe in foundational equality? true or false

true

what is foundational e

liberals view on individual liberty

• the individual is at the heart of liberal thought. each individual is a unique person and should have the ability to develop as such . they should be free as possible to make their own moral choices and choices more generally

• liberty is necessary for the individual to make their own choices

what are natural rights

rights that people have ‘naturally’, pre-existing any kind of political agreement

another term for these is human rights - rights people should have by just being people

liberals favoured a system of rights. what is this?

system of rights is when everyone is entitled to the same rights. no-one should have privileges because they are born into the lower classes h

how did liberals think natural rights would be realised

though the equal

what is the equal enjoyment of property

people should be allowed to won land and have their own trade and make money from it e.g. they did not have to work on the land of the local lord or seek permission before setting up in a particular trade

what is the only body that can guarantee rights of the individual

the state

how did previous societies in liberals view deny the rights of individuals

• the power of the monarchy and the nobility who controlled the land

• the power of the established church that propped up the above order

what do liberals see the state as important in doing

in protecting freedoms and rights

do liberals believe the state should encroach on the freedom of the individual

no

when was locke born

1632

what period of time did locke grow up during

english civil war 1642-1651 in which charles I was executed

what is lockes view on human nature

• human nature was fundamentally good

• people were peaceable and got along with eachother

• people are not particularly violent and if left alone will likely go about their lives peacefully and respect other people without any force to make them do so

lockes view on rationality

• people are capable of understanding the world around them and understanding their relationships with other people

• this rationality will mean that people will first look after themselves and their families , it will also be rational to get along with people

• people cannot satisfy all their needs and therefore will need to trade with others to meet those needs

• therefore it is rational to maintain good and civil relationships with those around you since you will need these people in the future

what is the state of nature

a society without a political state ruling over it - this is a society with no laws, no government , no police and no order imposed from the outside

lockes view on the state of nature

• because human nature is fundamentally good then the state of nature would be fundamentally peaceful

• people would go about their everyday business and trade with each other for the things that they needed

• this created a society based on trade that was to the advantage of all of its members

lockes view on self-ownership

people are not property and owned themselves and their own ability to work

lockes view on private property

• private property emerged naturally in society

• locke believed private property was based on the individuals labour (self-ownership) - whatever an individual makes is their private property

• private property is thus the extension of ones own body through labour, and any rational person can understand that such property belongs to the person who made it

• once they have made , they can exchange it for things that other people have made

lock believed that rights exist prior to what

the state

how did locke believe that rights exist prior to the state

• the recognition of personal autonomy and property rights are something that most people will recognise even without a state

• moreover in the state of nature people lived in peace based on trade and private property so therefore rights , particularly the rights to property , already exist in the state of nature and do not need the state in order to exist

why did locke believe the state could be good

it could be a good thing since it was only through a state with laws that the rights of the individual could really be guaranteed - even if the state of nature is peaceful there is no force that could guarantee rights

why did locke believe the state could be bad

not all states are good as some can deny rights rather than guarantee the rights and liberty of all individuals e.g. the feudal state in medieval europe

what was lockes social contract

a voluntary agreement between all members of society - specifically an agreement to have a state ruling over the people in that society

implication of the social contract

• there should be a limited government - the state has powers that are limited to those who set it up agreed to , therefore the state should do what is agreed in the social contract

• the limits of government should be to guarantee rights and liberty and ensure national security - it will have an important role in currency but not in other departments - taxation should therefore be as low as possible and certainly not progressive

• people need to consent to be ruled - so the social contract is ongoing

• the social contract gives the people the implicit right to reject their government

• state is not democratic as locke did not support democracy - because if you give the propertyless the vote they will use that vote to elect a government which will take the property from the rich and redistribute to the poor which locke objected to since he supported the right to own property

• locke rejected the idea that the government should represent the ‘will of the people’ as it would lead to the ‘tyranny of the majority’ and government would attempt to restructure society - government should allow people to act as individuals not imposing the will of the people on them

• the idea of the social contract is potentially revolutionary - if people are ruled by a government that is not based on such consent to be ruled, then people have the right to reject it - because such a government is not likely to give up power voluntarily it implies the right to rebel against such a

what is the difference between minimal and limited government

minimal government = state should do very little

limited government = the state us agreed upon by the population and should only act within those areas that have been agreed, and thus limited to these

instead of supporting democracy locke supported a ..

constitutional government

what was lockes view on the rule of law

because he supported constitutional governments he essentially supported the rule of law - the powers of the government are given to it by the law and therefore the government can only do what it is allowed to do by law

what did locke believe was the glue that held society together

property

what was lockes view on property

• property was the glue that held society together

• those with no property were potentially a danger to his liberal society since they would attempt to use political power to grad the wealth of others - thus any kind of political power needs to be based on those with some property

• lockes ideal society consisted of everyone having their bit of land - where everyone has a stake in protecting the rights of all

what religious sect was locke

protestant - NOT catholic

why did locke oppose the power of the organised church

• as he was protestant he was keen on bibles being printed , so everyone could have their own while the catholic church held its services in latin to ensure that no-one could understand and people had to trust the priests to tell them what to do

• therefore locke believed that the relationship between an individual and god was a personal one not dictated by the church

• it is up to the individual to decide what is right - relates to individualism and rationality

what is lockes core argument for religious toleration

dissenting religious views should not be persecuted by the state

why does locke argue the state should not judge religious belief

because simply obeying the state is not the same as being morally right

what is the difference between toleration and acceptance

toleration = allows beliefs to exist

acceptance = approves beliefs

did locke support toleration or acceptance

toleration

what lockes toleration unlimited

no - he did not tolerate athiesm

why did locke oppose tolerating athiests

believed athiests could not be trusted to keep oaths because they did not fear divine punishment

how does lockes toleration reflect classical liberalism

it supports limited state power , freedom of conscience and individual liberty

why is adam smith important to classical liberalism

he developed the economic ideas of free market capitalism

what is laissez-faire capitalism

an economic system where the state does not interfere in the market

why did adam smith oppose state intervention in the economy

he believed that markets work best when left alone

what does adam smith mean by self interest

individuals act to improve their own situation

why is self interest seen as positive by adam smith

it leads to economic growth and greater prosperity overall w

what is the hidden hand of the market

the idea that individual self interest unintentionally benefits society

did adam smith believe society would be equal

no - but he believed economic growth would benefit everyone

what is the division of labour

breaking production into smaller tasks , each done by different workers

why did adam smith support the division of labour

it increases efficiency, productivity and economic growth

how does the division of labour benefit society

goods become cheaper and more widely available

how do classical liberals view inequality

inequality is acceptable if it results from free choices and benefits overall economic growth

why do classical liberals prioritise economic growth over equality

because growth raises living standards and increases freedom

what is negative freedom

freedom from interference

what does laissez faire literally mean in french

‘ leave alone’ - no state intervention in the economy

what type of state does adam smith support

a minimal state

what strand of liberal thought was js mill apart of (not classical liberalism)

utilitarianism

what is utilitarianism

politics should proceed from the ‘greatest happiness’ principle - that is the purpose of politics was to provide the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people

why did js mill believe people should be free do do as they wish

because if maximising happiness is the principle that politics should be based on , it is only each individual who knows that will make them most happy

how did js mill believe the pursuit of happiness implies to the free market

the individual should decide how they wish to spend their money- it should not be taken away from them by the state in the form of taxes and spent on their behalf since it is the individual not the state who knows what will make them most happy

how does the pursuit of happiness implies to the diversity of society

societies are diverse as there are many different groups in society so many different ways of living - therefore it is not up to the state to impose one groups ideas and ways of living on everyone else - this diversity should be welcomed

what is the harm principle introduced by js mill

the state only has the right to stop an individual from doing things that would harm others

examples of the harm principle in practice

freedom of speech should be limited if it harmed others , such as inciting people to riot

smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs should be legal as it does not harm anyone else, only the individual

tolerance vs acceptance

tolerance = putting up with something of which you disapprove/think is wrong

acceptance = being fine with others beliefs

how far was js mill’s toleration

believed that if someone was only harming themselves , then you should tolerate behaviour even if you believe that it is wrong

why did js mill believe that a society that tolerated differences was better

• people are fallible - people tend to think that they are right but often they are wrong, therefore by supressing the beliefs of others that you disagree with , it might be the truth that you are supressing

• most views contain an element of truth - even if a view is mainly wrong, banning ideas will not allow the useful element of truth to be found

• even if the accepted views are the complete and absolute truth , this can only be established if they are rigorously challenged and tested against other ideas

was js mill a democrat

no

what is the tyranny of the majority

when the preferences of the majority dominate while minority preferences are neglected

mill’s example of tyranny of the majority

that the poor would use their power at the ballot box to take the wealth of the rich - contrary to the ideas of liberalism since it removes the rights of the rich to own their property

mills view on who should have rights

rights are universal and should apply to everyone equally

what did mill believe was the only form of govt that was able to guarantee the consent of the people

democracy

why did mill not support democracy

tyranny of the majority would emerge

what solutions did mill propose in order to have democracy

• giving those with property more votes - and those with less or no property fewer votes

• a system of education that would spread liberal values (unclear how this would happen)

• spreading the ownership of property more widely

• having a system of proportional representation to make sure that no one group in society can gain a majority

• fostering and encouraging diversity in society to stop a majority emerging

what was the issue with mill solutions for democracy

• giving those with property more votes would never work as it would only highlight to the poor that their votes was worth less than that of the rich - contrasts idea that we are all born equal

• spreading liberal values through the education system is very unliberal - it is using state power to mould peoples views

• spreading property implies that the state will take property off some people and give it to others is against the right of people to own property

• creating a diverse society without a majority implies the state would need a lot of power

why did modern liberalism develop

classical liberalism failed to deal with poverty, inequality and economic crises in industrial societies

why did classical liberalism struggle in modern societies

it was based on small, rural societies where people were largely self-sufficient

why did urbanisation challenge classical liberalism

people became dependent on wages , markets and services rather than producing what they needed themselves

why did industrial society require more state involvement

education, healthcare, housing and welfare became essential but unaffordable for many

what did modern liberals focus on regarding the individual

the individuals broader social existence and how society affects freedom and rights

why did modern liberals criticise the emerging capitalist market

because it could be harmful if not regulated and might not provide everything individuals need to be free and fulfilled

what problem worried modern liberals about the free market

it created a large gap between the rich and the poor, especially a poor working class

why did modern liberals reject the idea of foundational equality

because people were clearly not born equal due to class , wealth and opportunity

what is foundational equality

the idea that everyone is born equal and should have the same starting point

why did modern liberals reject free market

those born into poor-working class families were likely to grow up poor and working class themselves, while those born in rich families had all the privileges that this brought

what is social justice

the idea that societies need to ensure fair outcomes for all their members what did

what did modern liberals replace foundational equality with

social justice

what must politics focus on to achieve social justice according to modern liberal

the distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges

what does social justice aim to help individuals do

fulfil their potential and be fairly rewarded for their contribution

how does social justice view modern society

as interdependent , where people rely on each other more than in the past why

why might not working harder not guarantee success in modern society

because social and economic systems strongly influence outcomes

how was life viewed in traditional society

as more self determined , where hard work usually led to rewards

how is modern society different from traditional society

individuals are part of a collective system,not acting alone

what types of freedom do modern liberals believe in

• positive freedoms

• negative freedoms