SOCIETY --> To What Extent Are Liberals United In Their Views On Society?

INTRO/JUDGEMENT

AGREE —> agree that society should help individuals flourish

DISAGREE —>

DISAGREE —>

PARA 1 - AGREE

all liberals agree that since human nature is rational, society is bound to promote individual freedoms

• all liberals agree that society should be arranged to allow individuals to flourish, arguing that constitutionalism and a gov by consent best enables this

• classicals argue that prior to the existence of the state, there was a natural society that served mankind’s interests tolerably well. this society was underpinned by foundational liberties/rights

  • locke’s social contract theory argued that the state needed to act on behalf of the people w their permission in order to allow promotion of individual freedom in society, leading to flourishing due to lack of restriction and respect of human rationality

• moderns agree, arguing for a society based on the promotion of individual freedom and progress

  • rawls believed that under a veil of ignorance individuals would choose a society where there was promotion of social justice and equality, choosing fair principles of justice due to human rationality

• this leads to individual flourishing due to the lack of inequality and increased tolerance in society, mainly based on the rationality of humans

PARA 2 - AGREE

all liberals agree that society should tolerate minorities due to shared human rationality/foundational equality

• all liberals believe that individuals are of equal value and should be treated fairly by society, especially due to the liberal view of humans as rational. they all agree that individuals should be allowed to do what they want within reason, and that since everyone holds equal worth they should be granted the same rights

• although classical liberals viewed equality as mostly legal/political, they still advocated for the protection of individual rights, w both Mill and Wollstonecraft advocating for rights of women in society, seeing men and women as equally rational

• similarly, modern liberals argued for the toleration of oppressed minority groups

  • seen w Friedan who advocated for the advancement of women in society

PARA 3 - DISAGREE

disagree on whether society needs the state in order to enable flourishing

• whilst all liberals agree that society is a collection of autonomous individuals, they disagree on whether the state should be more involved in society in order to help individual flourishing

• classical liberals advocate for a very minimal state, rejecting any form of paternalism as they believe this doesn’t respect individuals as rational beings, violating their individual freedoms. they advocate for a more atomistic society where individuals are minimally constrained by a nightwatchman state, w a focus on negative freedom where they are free from state intervention. for them, this is what will encourage individual flourishing

  • this is seen w mill’s harm principle, where state intervention in an individual’s life is opposed, unless that person has violated the liberties of someone else

• this differs to moderns who support more state intervention in society in order to reduce inequality and in turn advance individual liberties. moderns argue that foundational equality isn’t enough to guarantee equality of opportunity

  • this is why modern liberal feminists like friedan and de beauvoir thought that the state should actively dismantle legal barriers that limited women’s freedom, as without some level of state intervention in society this wouldn’t be done, and foundational equality would be constrained

overall, liberals disagree on whether the state is needed in society to advance individual freedoms