Liberalism

Key Principles:

  • individualism

  • freedom and liberty

  • limited government

  • rationalism

  • equality and social justice

  • liberal democracy

Individualism

Liberals believe individuals have rights that should be respected and protected

Liberals believe individuals are capable of making their own decisions and taking responsibility for their actions

Liberals believe people should be free to follow their own beliefs without unecessary state interference

Key thinkers are John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft

Egoistical individualism

Developmental individualism

  • Individuals should be left free from heavy state control

  • Individuals can grow and flourish with support from the state (e.g. education, welfare)

  • All liberals believe individual freedom must be protected

  • Classic Liberals emphasise minimal interference whereas Modern Liberals support state interference to support individuals

Freedom and Liberty

Individuals should be free to make their own decisions as long as they don’t harm others

John Stuart Mill believes in the Harm Principle - defends individual freedom unless behaviour harms others

Negative liberty

Positive liberty

  • Freedom from interference by the state

  • Favoured by classical liberals

  • Freedom to achieve one’s goals, sometimes requiring state support

  • Favoured by modern liberals

Limited Government

Liberals support a limited government with checks to prevent tyranny:

  • the main purpose of the state is to protect individual rights

  • the state only exists due to the consent of the governed, expressed through democratic participation

All liberals agree that the main role of the state should be to protect individual rights

Classic Liberals argue for a minimal state whilst Modern Liberals support an enabling of state to ensure equality of opportunity

Rationalism

Liberals believe humans are rational, capable of reasoning and making informed decisions → Rationalism supports freedom

John Locke challenged traditional authority such as the monarchy

Mary Wollstonecraft argued that women are rational and should have equal rights

All liberals agree humans are rational which justifies the need for freedom and rights

Classic Liberals believe rational individuals can thrive with minimal help whilst Modern Liberals argue rationality requires some state support to ensure fair opportunities

Equality and Social Justice

Liberals support formal equality meaning all individuals have the same legal rights

They also belive in equality of opportunity, allowing individuals the chance to develop

John Rawls has the ‘theory of justice’ as he argued for state-led redistribution to improve opportunities

Betty Friedan argued for perosnal and professional gender equality, changing societal attitudes towards women

foundational equality - everyone is born equal in rights

formal equality - laws must protect everyone equally

social justice - the state should remove barriers that prevent individuals reaching their potential

All Liberals support equality under the law

Classic Liberals emphasise formal equality whilst Modern Liberals want the state to play a role in achieving social justice

Liberal Democracy

combines democratic participation with liberal values

features include:

  • free and fair elections

  • government accountability

  • constitutionalism

  • protected rights

  • political tolerance

Liberal democracy protects freedom and ensures power is limited

However, democracy can risk tyranny of the majority where popular opinion undermines individual rights

John Locke argued for the social contract and government by consent

Mary Wollstonecraft argued for women’s equal rights for political participation

All Liberals agree democracy is necessary to secure liberty and rights

Classic Liberals emphasise meritocratic democracy whilst Modern Liberals emphasise democratic systems that promote equality of opportunity