Post on 20-Jul-2020
Liberalism
Introduction
• Term used since the 14th Century
• Latin Liber or “class of free men”
• Becomes used to describe freedom and choice
• Used in politics in early 19th Century
Introduction• Commitment to the individual
• Everyone gets as much freedom as possible
• Entitled to equal political and legal rights
• Reward for talents and initiative
Origins and Development
• Origins in agricultural societies
• People forced to settle, trade, and live with strangers
Origins and Development• Product of
breakdown of feudalism
• Market and Capitalism replaces
• Middle class conflicts with Ruling Class
Origins and Development• Revolutions showed liberalism
• English and French
• “Divine Rights,” Absolutism, Church challenged
• Market should be free of government interference
Core Themes
• Gains traction during the 18th and 19th Century
• 20th Century-Morally neutral
• Right over Good
• Not do your own thing
Individualism
• Feudal period prevents all individuality
• Social classes determined everything
• Feudalism collapses=think for yourself
• The uniqueness is both celebrated, and caused problems
Individualism• Atomism-people
are self interested, not social groups
• Human nature-ego is tempered by social responsibility
Freedom
• Freedom is the most important thing
• Freedom allows people to pursue interests
Freedom
• No absolute entitlement to freedom
• Negative Freedom-lack of external interference
• Positive Freedom-full autonomy, being able to develop own interests
Reason• Rely on logic
• People are rational
• Can make choices for best interests
• Paternalism is bad
Logic
• Human history view through progress
• Knowledge allowed people to shape world for better
• Escape past and tradition
• Emphasis on education
Logic
• Utopias not possible, too greedy
• Rivalry and conflict are inevitable
• Settle with debate
• Force should be a last resort and avoided at all costs
Justice• Moral judgment
about reward and punishment
• Social justice is fair distribution of stuff
• Equality-humans born equal
Justice• Everyone has the same status
• No advantages based on “irrational factors”
• Race, sex, creed, religion, etc
• One Person, One Vote; One Vote, One Value
• Meritocracy is the key to success
• Unlike individuals treated alike
Toleration• Pluralism- Political power should be
dispersed evenly
• Willingness to tolerate things you disagree with
• Toleration leads to a balance society
• AKA: Each side is essential
The Liberal State• Fair and balanced society won’t come
naturally
• People are greedy=exploitation
• Government is to stop exploitation
• Social Contract Theory is necessary
• Social Contract requires neutrality from state
Liberal State
• Following laws aren’t mandatory
• Unjust laws?
• Elite don’t create gov’t, masses do
Constitutionalism
• Government is dangerous, must be limited by a constitution
• Checks and balances
• Operation of Powers
• Independent Judiciary
Liberal Democracy• Dominant force in developing world
• Check on gov’t guarantee civil liberty
• Liberals are ambivalent towards democracy
• Democracy could infringe upon liberty (51% rule)-de Tocqueville
• Unrestrained=bad, None=brutality
Classical Liberalism• Appear with feudalism to capitalism
• Individuals are egotistical
• Free as long as not interfered with
• State/Government is necessary evil (Paine)
• Civil Society is positive
Natural Rights• John Locke and Thomas Jefferson
• Rights are god given, can’t be taken away
• “Life, Liberty, and Property”-Jefferson
• Government Functions-Order, protection, contracts-Locke
Utilitarianism• Jeremy Bentham and James Mill
• Humans base everything on pleasure and pain
• Humans can handle best interest
• Humans can gauge morality in relation to interest
Economic Liberalism• Mercantilism encouraged government during
the 16th and 17th Century
• Markets operate best when left alone-Liberals
• Free Market/Laissez-Faire: Government Hands Off
• Market fundamentalism- market/economy will fix itself, leave it alone
Social Darwinism• Strong Survive,
weak will decline
• Due to strength, inequalities will arise.
• Government needs to stay out
Modern Liberalism
• Comes along with more industrialization
• Social inequality emerges
• Hard to agree with capitalism as poverty grows
Individuality• Bridge between
classical and modern (J.S. Mills)
• Liberty helps the individual
• Individual can do their own things
Positive Freedom• Proposed by T.H. Green
• Unrestrained pursuit of freedom leads to injustice
• People possess individual AND social responsibility
• Modern liberalism has grown closer to socialism
• State NOT more important
Social Liberalism
• States became “welfare” based in 20th Century
• Welfare rights are required for equality
• Linked to socialism because it strives for equality
Economic Management• Modern Liberalism abandons “laissez
faire”-Great Depression
• Government spendings “injects money” to spur the economy -John Maynard Keyes
• Economic management promotes prosperity and harmony
Liberalism in Global Age• Globalization has brought about
“neoliberalism”
• Deregulation of economy designed to attract business
• Neoliberalism pushes for economic interdependence
• Free Trade is vital
Liberalism in Global Age• Republican Liberalism- democracy is peaceful,
everything else is authoritative
• Media has increased knowledge fo outside world
• Human rights are now challenging sovereignty
• Gulf Wars?
• Fall of the Soviet Union has released challenges to liberalism