classical vs modern liberals

why has liberalism evolved over time

• Historical context important

• Classical liberals trying to get rid of aristocracy and establish democracy

• By the time it gets to modern liberalism all that has been established, but is looking more at the consequences of liberalism

shared ground of liberalism

• belief in all principles of liberalism

• state should ensure equality of opportunity

• state can be involved in taking anti-discrimination measures (positive discrimination, affirmative action)

• state should ensure freedom and liberty for all

human nature

ALL liberals

•  liberals share an optimistic attitude towards human nature.

• This is based upon an assumption that our behaviour is determined by rational interest rather than irrational emotions and prejudice.

• We are therefore governed by reason and should be entrusted with as much freedom as possible.

• promotes the view that we are free to choose our own path in life regardless of what society dictates as the ‘norm.’

• Liberals firmly believe that we should be allowed to express ourselves fully as guided by our own free will.  

• classical liberalism (Woolstonecraft and Mill) and modern liberalism (Friedan) have argued that women are as rational as men, calling for enfranchisement and equality of opportunity in society

• both modern and classical share concerns about popular democracy conflicting w individual rights

  • mill conceptualised this concern w his tyranny of the majority theory - that the interests of the few could be subjected by the interests of the majority

classical liberals

• Egoistical individualism  

• Humans will do what they can to get ahead

modern liberals

• Associated w modern/social liberals.

• Humans can be altruistic and can choose to make social progress  

neo-liberals

• advocates atomistic individualism (the idea that individuals are rational, self-interested and self-sufficient) 

• although humans may be selfish, they are rational and entitled to pursue their own interests in their own way, as long as they accept others can do the same.

• This approach to individualism, claim neoliberals, releases human potential and creates natural harmony through free relations between people.

the state

ALL

• Equality of opportunity

• Role of gov is to maximise liberty

• Liberal democracy

• The state can be involved in taking anti-discrimination measures (positive discrimination / affirmative action)

• The state should ensure liberty and freedom for all

• all liberals believe that the state should function according to prearranged rules and procedures, with power fragmented and authority subject to the consent of the governed.

• However, liberals vary on the extent of state activity

classical

• Negative liberty

  • Freedom from restrictions, limited state and that wealth will trickle down through market activity  

• Believe in natural justice

  • Based on natural law  ie our rights are not dependent on customs and laws

  • The state shouldn’t intervene in the market

  • The state should take the role of a 'night watchman' (minimal role)

  • Some overlap w new right conservatism

• Believed the state should be minimal/limited

  • A state w assorted checks and balances and minimised state activity

•  in accordance with ‘negative’ liberty, believe state intervention should be minimal and individuals left unchecked (unless they hamper the freedom of others)

• sceptical of democracy, believing that poor, uneducated people were not capable of governing and they might vote against economically liberal principles

• support the 'harm principle'

modern

• Social justice

  • The state should take measures to promote a fairer distribution of chances in life - greater equality of opportunity

  • Linked w the work of John Rawls  

• Positive liberty

  • The right to do things (often defined by law and formal rights) hence larger state role, and that state may need to use progressive taxation and the welfare state

• Enlarged state

  • Substantial extension of the state in the name of individual liberty - more laws, more state spending, more state bureaucracy

  • Enlarged state would require some individuals to sacrifice more of their earnings to the state (pay more tax) in the form of progressive taxation

• Enabling state

  • Linked to positive liberty. An enabling state is one that 'liberates' individuals from restrictive social/economic problems, thus 'enabling' them to fulfil their potential 

•  in accordance with the concept of ‘positive liberty’, believe state intervention should be much more extensive so as to ‘enable’ individuals to reach their potential

• Believe that representative democracy enhances constitutional government

neo

• against strong government control. It sees the state as a source of control that limits individual freedom, as collective approaches can hinder personal initiative and self-worth.

• No matter how well-meaning, government actions often harm society. Instead, the focus is on individuals and the market 

• neoliberals criticise state welfare policies for creating a dependency culture and infringing property rights by imposing high taxes on individuals to fund benefit payments.

• Such a system, in their view, actually institutionalises poverty and unemployment, and undermines atomistic individualism.

• If people no longer face government intervention and interference, they will be free to deal with each other without restrictions.

society

ALL

• Tolerance

• socially progressive

• all liberals see society as a collection of diverse and potentially autonomous individuals, seeking self-determination, self-realisation and self-fulfilment

• Classical and modern liberals broadly agree that human society predates the state, and all liberals see society as a collection of diverse and potentially autonomous individuals

• both stress that society should be arranged to allow individuals to flourish. Constitutionalism creates the best conditions for such a society

classical

• advocated a more atomistic society whereby individuals are minimally constrained by a nightwatchman state, focusing on negative freedom

modern

• Wealth gap

  • While modern liberalism wishes to improve the lot of society's least fortunate (via state intervention), it remained indifferent to inequality of outcome

  • For modern liberals this is the inevitable side effect of individual freedom and the key difference w socialism

  • The priority is to ameliorate the social/economic condition of society's most deprived members and enable them to exploit their individual potential and achieve control of their lives

  • As long as this occurs the gap between society's poorest and richest is of secondary concern 

• Social liberalism

  • An updated version of the belief in tolerance

  • Involves legislation that may criminalise actions that discriminate against individuals on the grounds of race, gender, disability etc

•  believe that industrialised and urban societies are those where individuals are less autonomous and therefore require state support to be free

• individual autonomy is curtailed and the state must act as an enabling state to assist individual freedom via positive freedom. Modern liberals argue for a state-funded welfare state

neo

• Neo-liberals often see society as one where individuals have been damaged or unnecessarily restricted  by ‘positive liberty’ and that the ‘dependency culture’ must now be corrected by a radical reduction of the state.

• Some neo-liberals might see the ideal situation as one where ‘there is no such thing’ as society, just a collection of atomised individuals pursuing self-interest. 

economy

ALL

• all liberals believe that capitalism is the most effective and efficient economic system

classical

• Laissez-faire capitalism

  • An economic system based upon private ownership and market forces

  • A free market (free from gov intervention) leads to the optimum allocation of scarce resources within an economy  

modern

• Keynesianism economics

  • Keynes rejected the argument that the market is a self-correcting mechanism naturally inclined towards reaching a state of equilibrium

  • State intervention is both necessary and justified to prevent the collapse of capitalism  

  • capitalism requires regular state management to ensure full employment

• belief in ‘managed’ capitalism also explains its support for supranational organisations like the European Union, which many neo-liberals see as an obstacle to global free trade.

neo

• argues that the economy functions best when the government stays out of it, promoting the idea of free markets and individualism.

• This view holds that when the market operates without restrictions, it leads to efficiency, growth, and overall wealth

• frequently linked to market fundamentalism, which is the strong belief that markets can resolve all economic and social issues.