"Man is born free but everywhere is in chains." ROUSSEAU
Hello you prototype politicians! Here's a thought... Liberalism began with the discovery that people should be regarded as individuals, each imbued with dignity and capable of self-realisation. It was an expressed desire to release people from excessive government control and to allow them to be free.
However, from this starting point, liberals have increasingly seen the state as the guarantor of freedom rather than as oppressor; inviting ever greater government intervention into the lives of individuals. Indeed, some would say that the pursuit of individual freedom is now the preserve of the political right.
So, what do you think? Does modern liberalism in any way preserve the ideas of that ideology's founders? I look forward to seeing what you think... (feel free to quote key thinkers)
NOTE: One element of this is to investigate and represent the priorities/policies of CONTEMPORARY liberalism (eg the Liberal Democrats) as well as 'New Liberalism' as a 100+ year old school of thought. This debate should usher us into next week's topic.
In order to approach this question I will first establish what Liberalism's founding ideas are. Thereafter we can see how much modern liberalism has or has not differed.
ReplyDeleteClassic liberals believe that government should be limited, and as such should be made responsible for ensuring nobody's 'self regarding' actions encroach upon others' right to act as they wish, i.e restricting 'others affecting actions'. Classical liberals believe in negative freedom, but rely minimally on the government to preserve law and order and property. Samuel Smiles' claim "Men who are resolved to find a way for themselves will always find opportunities enough; and if they do not find them, they will make them" highlights best classical liberal beliefs that people have to make their own luck, and as such should depend on nobody to do it for them.
The government should be set up by consent and thereafter should encourage freedom of speech ("I detest what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it", Voltaire) amongst other liberties. The most important core concept it must be said is however, equality of opportunity, whereby everyone has the same means to succeed.
One major difference between classical and modern liberalism is the contemporary belief that positive freedom should be encouraged. This does not necessarily mean equality of outcome seeing as liberals accept that there is an inequality of skill, however, they believe people should be able to compete on a level playing field. Modern Liberals such as T.H Green believe in a 'cycle of deprivation' that condemns people to poverty, giving them little chance to be fulfill their potential. Therefore, the government is entrusted with a larger role, as reflected in the Liberal Reforms of the early 1900s which promoted education for all, allowing them a fair, equal chance. The promotion of equality is also seen in the welfare state, especially today, where the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives are offering to match Labour's spending on the NHS and the welfare state.
Government intervention may also come in the shape of economic intervention. Adam Smith's liberal economic theories were first challenged by John Maynard Keynes who proposed that the government should spend on the economy to stimulate growth in times of stunted progress.
To conclude, Modern and Classical Liberals seem to agree on the fundamental issue regarding equality of opportunity, however, modern liberals seem to support it to a larger degree. There is a much larger sense of individualism in classical liberalism relative to contemporary liberalism.
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ReplyDeleteIn order to approach this question I will first establish what Liberalism's founding ideas are. Thereafter we can see how much modern liberalism has or has not differed.
ReplyDeleteClassic liberals believe that government should be limited, and as such should be made responsible for ensuring nobody's 'self regarding' actions encroach upon others' right to act as they wish, i.e restricting 'others affecting actions'. Classical liberals believe in negative freedom, but rely minimally on the government to preserve law and order and property. Samuel Smiles' claim "Men who are resolved to find a way for themselves will always find opportunities enough; and if they do not find them, they will make them" highlights best classical liberal beliefs that people have to make their own luck, and as such should depend on nobody to do it for them.
The government should be set up by consent and thereafter should encourage freedom of speech ("I detest what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it", Voltaire) amongst other liberties. The most important core concept it must be said is however, equality of opportunity, whereby everyone has the same means to succeed.
One major difference between classical and modern liberalism is the contemporary belief that positive freedom should be encouraged. This does not necessarily mean equality of outcome seeing as liberals accept that there is an inequality of skill, however, they believe people should be able to compete on a level playing field. Modern Liberals such as T.H Green believe in a 'cycle of deprivation' that condemns people to poverty, giving them little chance to be fulfill their potential. Therefore, the government is entrusted with a larger role, as reflected in the Liberal Reforms of the early 1900s which promoted education for all, allowing them a fair, equal chance. The promotion of equality is also seen in the welfare state, especially today, where the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives are offering to match Labour's spending on the NHS and the welfare state.
ReplyDeleteGovernment intervention may also come in the shape of economic intervention. Adam Smith's liberal economic theories were first challenged by John Maynard Keynes who proposed that the government should spend on the economy to stimulate growth in times of stunted progress.
To conclude, Modern and Classical Liberals seem to agree on the fundamental issue regarding equality of opportunity, however, modern liberals seem to support it to a larger degree. There is a much larger sense of individualism in classical liberalism relative to contemporary liberalism.
Classic Liberalism was built upon the idea of freedom of the individual. John Stuart Mill believed that individual liberty was everything, and that by giving freedom, innovation, creativity, and progress would be encouraged. However classical liberals such as Mill disliked the idea of popular democracy, and universal suffrage, and believed in limited government as well as negative freedom, where there is very little government intervention, and people are left to be completely free, provided their freedom does not harm the freedom of others.
ReplyDeleteThe way classical liberalists view individual liberty, differs somewhat from new liberalists, who believe in a more positive approach to liberty. For new liberalists government intervention plays a much larger part in protecting the individual freedom of the people. Many argue that even though some freedoms may be sacrificed in order for the government to help more, peoples freedom is more effectively protected when a positive liberalist system is adopted. "It is an error to think that a policy of liberty must always be negative". By this stage in the development of liberalism, individual liberty still played a large part in the key thinkers beliefs.
Contemporary liberalism focuses on the proposals for political reforms. One typical reform that supports the idea of individual liberty is for stronger constitutional safeguards against governmental power, this would protect the freedoms that the people enjoy, by limiting the power of the government, as value that dates back to classical liberalism.
Contemporary liberalists believe heavily in the defense of individual rights and freedoms, directed at every member of society. It would seem that liberalism has not turned its back on individual liberty.