Liberalism: State

State is necessary: Agree

• ensure rule of law

• protect rights and freedoms (Locke-life, liberty, property)

• must itself be subject to law and gov by consent (CL, to protect the individual from illegitimate, tyrannical powers. ML, constitution to enshrine and enhance rights.

• CL concede that state is a necessary evil

CL: state is necessary. (Purpose)

• minimal as possible. JL “nightwatchman”

• Harm principle→ only protect people from others.

• emphasizes how state should only intervene to uphold law and protect from invasion, police and army required

• limiting power of govs via separations of power, acting as a check on each other.

ML: State is necessary. (Purpose)

• Mill developed ideas and argued for more state intervention to help the poor (industrial revolution) → influenced Beveridge report: welfare state.

• Rawls: enabling state

• Friedan: state to bring in legislature that prevents sexual discrimination, allowing women to flourish as individuals.

Necessary: EVAL

• Limited agreement. Only really agree on bare minimum (state should exist in some capacity)

• Differ over role for state within soc and lives of individual.

Freedom: Agree

• state promotes freedom and individualism

• JL: “where there is no law there is no freedom”

• CL&ML feminists believe state should enhance & protect freedoms for women

• Freidan (ML) women should be free to reach their full potential protected from patricrachal soc by legislation (abortion & contraception)

• Wollstonecraft: state intervene to educate women, allowing them to be free from need for a husband.

CL: Freedom

• Minimum role for state JL: “nightwatchman” and Mill harm principle.

• Stems from belief in negative freedom and emphasis on individual, leading to an atomistic soc that predates the state that should leave people free from constraint

ML: freedom

• larger role for state.

• value positive freedom, to protect and enhance the lives of the individual.

• seen in belief in enabling state (Rawls) and Beveridge “starving man is not free”

Freedom: EVAL

• Both emphasize freedom and believe that there is some role for the state to enhance it and protect rights.

• However differ greatly over levels of state involvement.

CONC

• limited agreement

• tension over levels of state involvement, doesn’t signal complete disagreement only separate context.

• CL: suspicious and fearful of authoritarian and illegitimate govs

• ML: post industrial Rev, growing conflict and inequality

• Both strands want to achieve same thing; state that provides freedom and security for the individuals it protects, no matter how lightly.

• while there is great tension, still some levels of agreement, despite being limited.