Liberalism - key thinkers

John Locke - CLASSICAL

• wrote the ‘Two Treatises of Government’

• Human Nature - positive view, humans are rational beings, have natural rights

• State - created through a social contract/government by consent, protects natural rights (life, liberty and estate), limited state interference, introduces formal equality

• Society - tolerance, limited state interference, reflects the interests of the governed

• Economy - limited state interference, ongoing consent to interfere in the economy

Mary Wollstonecraft - CLASSICAL

• wrote ‘The Vindication of the Rights of Women’

• Human nature - positive view, women and men have equal rationality, rationale is undermined by the contemporary state, wanted equal (formal) rights for women

• State - wanted to replace monarchy with republicanism, wanted the state to entrench women’s rights, denied the divine right of kings

• Society - inhibits female individualism by infantilising them, women are currently denied social equality, wanted education for women, supported republicanism

• Economy - believes that women would thrive and enhance the free market, wanted the law to allow female employment and equal property ownership rights

JS Mill - CLASSICAL

• wrote ‘On Liberty’

• Human nature - positive view, rational but not fixed, rationale is built upon, individual liberty is essential for creative, cultural and intellectual development, free will and responsibility

• State - supports representative democracy, wants to be mindful of minority rights, should help to attain developmental individualism through education

• Society - harm principle, wants a diverse society, encourages debate and logical reasoning, ‘other regarding’ actions = bad, ‘self-regarding’ actions = good

• Economy - supports laissez-faire capitalism, limited state interreference allows freedom ‘from’

John Rawls - MODERN

• wrote ‘A Theory of Justice’ - a balance of freedom and equality

• Human nature - positive view, created the ‘veil of ignorance’ thought experiment, collective social justice, interconnected and organic social interactions

• State - wanted an enabling state/welfare state for education and healthcare, people would opt for an enabling state if given the choice (veil of ignorance)

• Society - must have equality of opportunity for all, the state has a larger societal role, progressive taxation, socio-economic and foundational equality combined

• Economy - favours the management of capitalism to allow for social justice with progressive tax welfare

Betty Friedan - MODERN

• wrote ‘The Feminine Mystique’

• Human nature - negative view, discourages women’s self-advancement, saw gender as a hindrance to women as it aided their discrimination

• State - supports and enabling state, has a duty to prevent discrimination (against women), if the state allowed equality, then women’s individualism would be enhanced in career hood/motherhood/marriage, minority rights protection

• Society - individuals should be free to achieve their potential, women and men are victims of restricted societal opportunities due to the patriarchy

• Economy - equality of opportunity would be achieved by the state enforcing equal treatment, benefits for widows, single and divorced mothers, careers for women