Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

LIBERALISM - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Feudalism was the economic structure of western society pre enlightenment. This structure went against liberal beliefs, power could not easily be shifted and was inherited through bloodlines.
    - - The Scottish enlightenment was particularly influential in this.
- - - - Atomism is a somewhat anti society idea which suggests that we are separate individuals living along side each other like atoms. These individuals are self sufficient and self interested.
      - C.B. Macpherson (1973) characterised Atomism form of liberalism as ‘possessive liberalism’ saying that this regarded the individual as “the proprietor of his own person or capacities, owning nothing to society.”
    - - Mill has a concept of higher and lower pleasures. Higher pleasures are productive and progressive such as reading and lower and reductive such as eating. Other have suggested that Mill is just a snob.
    - - T.H.Green in part rejected the idea of egotistical individualism and felt that individuals are not entirely self interested and that we are Altruistic and have the want help others.
  - - - In alignment with the modern liberal view of positive freedom, modern liberals think that individuals need the freedom to 'flourish' through means such as education.
      - Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the first to float these ideas in the context of women.
    - - Due to the birth of the ideology out of the enlightenment the social and scientific progress with liberalism is regarded as particularly important and education is seen as a vessle for that.
      - Mill famously said that he would rather be 'socrates unsatisfied than a pig satisfied'
    - - This puts a focus on equal rights for both men and women with a suggestion that women have the capacity to be rational. This is. pioneered by Mary Woolstonecraft and harriet taylor.
    - - All liberals are anit-paternalistic they believe that individuals are a rational and 'know them selves best' and that it would be dangerous for decisions to be made for them.
      - 'society should exist for the benefit of the individual not the individual for the benefit of society'. - Herbert Spencer
  - - - This idea has later been rejected by more modern liberals, who believe in social responsibility.
- - - - Foundational rights are 'natural rights' these are our basic human rights which every individual is entitled to.
      - Formal rights are those cast in law such as political rights and negative freedoms.
    - - Classic liberals believe in 'strict meritocracy' where the talent of an individual can allow them to rise to the top on society. While modern liberals believe that some individuals need help in order to 'flourish'.
    - - All liberals believe that we need laws as they believed in the social contract John Locke says that 'without law there is no freedom' however many believe laws should be minimal.
      - Classic liberal believe is moral justice as individuals deserve what they are 'due' while modern liberals believe in social justice.
    - - John Rawls believed in relative social equality - relative to the needs of the individual, this ensures that welfare doesn't go too far and end up being classed as what all liberal fear - socialism.
    - - John Locke believed that in the state of nature we would have 3 key rights: to life, to liberty and to justice. This then went on to inspire the founding fathers of America along with many others.
  - - - These are often authoritarian governments who overstep their duty and act 'ultra vires'. these governments must be contrained by a constitution.
      - “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” - Lord Acton
    - - Locke believed that to save us from the state of nature that society would enter a 'social contract' where individuals consent to be governed.
    - - Mill and others felt that the opinions of the majority or 'will of the people' often trumped the view of the individual or minority and this is dangerous.
      - Majoritarianism
        A belief in majority rule; majoritarianism implies either that the majority dominates the minority or that the minority should defer to the judgment of the majority.
    - - All liberals believe that the state is the threat to the individual and therefore fear arbitrary government.
      - Constitutionalism - The Practice of limited government brought about by the existence of a constitution, the state can be constrained by constitutional power.
      - Features
        
        Federalism, separation of powers, bill of rights, checks and balances.
    - - features
        
        Regular competitive elections, Universal suffrage and political equality
        
        Constraints imposed on government by a constitution
        
        A civil society which allows for individualism.
      - There are debates over whether liberalism is compatible with democracy