politics, core political ideas

what are the five key concepts of liberalism

rationalism

individualism

freedom

equality

democracy

define rationalism

belief or action done due to reason and knowledge not emotion

define individualism

individuals should be free to act without the states control

define freedom in liberalist context

freedom from the oppressive restrictions of the state

define equality in liberalist context

equal treatment from the state in status, rights and opportunities (social justice)

define democracy

government rules with the consent of the people

state the five main liberal theorists and whether they were classical or modern

classical - John Locke, Mary Wollstencraft, John Stuart Mill

modern - John Rawls, Betty Freidan

what did ____ _____ advocate due to his beleif in human tolerance and rationality

John Locke advocated freedom to express religion because humans could naturally disagree peacefully

what is the social contract and who came up with it

an imaginary agreement between citizens and the state to give up some liberty in return for protection of natural rights like owner ship and liberty

John Locke

what is hedonism with an example

pursuit of pleasure for its own sake e.g listening to music, going out to eat

what did john Stuart mill believe about hedonsim and give his quote

he criticised it and advocated development individualism meaning people should use freedom to develop themselves e.g make music not listen to it

freedom

“better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”

what did wolstonecraft beleive about women and society, explain with a quote and state

women “neglected education” allowed the “tyranny of men” and women should use their freedom to improve their intellect because “intellect will always govern”

what idea did _._ G____ present that differentiated classical and modern liberalism

T.H Green believed liberty was either negative (freedom from) or positive (freedom to)

describe negative liberty

freedom from …

under negative liberty individuals would be free from oppression/theft etc due to the systems in play (police etc)

describe positive liberty

freedom to…

individuals are enabled to chase their potential thanks to systems like education and healthcare

how can positive and negative liberty diffrentiate classical and modern liberalists

classical liberalists believe only negative liberty should be into play and indivduals can chase potential on their own

modern liberals believe negative and positive liberty should be accessible

what is lassez faire captalism

a form of capitalism where there is minimal government intervention and individuals and businesses can freely pursue their economic goals

what did Freidan campaign for and why

laws on equal pay and maternity rights to enable equal opportunities

describe meritocracy and who believes it is crucial

people are judged on their personality and skills rather than race, gender etc

modern liberals

what does friedan believe about women’s unequal position in society with a quote

women were “conforming to the conventional picture of femininity”

what is the harm principle and who came up with it

individuals should be free to do anything other than harm others

john stuart mill

what is the veil of ignorance and who came up with it

a theoretical society where people are not aware of characteristics e.g race, gender so opportunities are equal and fair

john rawls

what does John Rawls believe about institutions

they are crucial to allow equal opportunities

what 3 defining features does John Locke beleive humans are born with

human are born equal, rational and drive to own property

what are the three strands of conservatism

• traditional

• one-nation

• New right

what are 3 key themes in conservatism

• respect for authority

• order

• tradition

what did Thomas Hobbs live through that shaped his views

the english civil war

summarise Hobbes’ ideas in his leviathan

life without soverign power is “solitary, short and nasty” so to achieve peace power must be given up to the soverign state so it becomes the “mortal god” controlling law, property and justice

what does Hobbes believe drives people to be productive and what does he believe society would be like without

fear of punishment and urge for reward (this must be applied by the state)

chaos

what does Edmund burke believe about change in society

they should be made cautiously, and empirically

what does empiricism mean

basing actions off past experience and events

what does Burke believe about traditionalism and sentiment using the monarchy as an example`

although people know it is an act and wastes money it is needed to keep high morale and distraction from the troubles of life

what event did Burke experience that he didn’t like as it destroyed traditionalism and sentiment as well as lacking empiricism and cautiousness

the French revolution

state and explain the fence analogy by chesterton

“don’t ever take down a fence if you don’t know the reason it was put up”

conservatist view that even if something seems old and past it time getting rid of it may release a problem you never knew was present

what two things did oakshott dislike and why

extremist ideas and rationalism as he lived throughout the world wars so believed they just didnt work

what idea did Oakshott come up with after his experience with the failure of extremism after the world wars with a quote

ideas of extremism aims to form the perfect society but “the enterprise is to keep afloat on an even keel” rather than reach a destination

who are two traditional conservatives

Burke and Oakshott

what kind theorist is ayn rand

according to the spec conservative but really new right

summarise ayn rands background

grew up during communist revolution in russia and had property taken, she was also denied to uni due to bourgeoisie background so emigrated to the USA and became a successful writer

who influenced Ayn rand despite her claiming she cme up with all her ideas herself

Nietzche had ideas like “god is dead” suggesting humanity no longer has moral codes on how to act

what does Ayn Rand think is bad and define it

Altruism - putting others above yourself

what does Ayn Rand belive is good and define this and what form of capitalism helps achieve it

objectivism - the moral purpose of life is to pursue your own happiness

lassez-faire

what does Ayn Rand believe about rationalism

it is used to preserve ones life

summarise Ayn Rands ideas

people should not be altruistic and take an objectivist approach by pursuing ones own happiness and not intervening in helping other. if everyone does this society will function

explain neo liberalism

a modern take on classic liberalism