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Politics Paper 1 > 5.3 Liberalism thinkers > Flashcards

5.3 Liberalism thinkers Flashcards

1
Q

5

Which branch does each liberal key thinker belong to?

A
  • John Locke - classical
  • Mary Wollstonecraft - classical
  • JSM - ‘bridge of liberalism’ (classical in earlier writings, modern in later writings)
  • John Rawls - modern
  • Betty Friedan - modern
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2
Q

5

Describe Locke’s social contract theory

A
  • State not created by God, nor monarchy legitimised by divine right of kings
  • State is creation of mankind
  • Society constructed by theoretical voluntary agreement (social contract) between rulers and ruled
  • Creates principle of ‘government by consent’
  • Prevents ‘state of nature’
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3
Q

4

How does Locke’s social contract work?

A
  • Based on rationalistic proposition that individuals would enter into social contract to allow state to resolve clashes
  • State more equitiably promotes our best interests and liberties than in state of nature
  • Consent granted via elections or tacitly (no social disorder)
  • If state broke contract by not protecting/enhancing natural rights, people within rights to withdraw consent and replace government (e.g. French revolution)
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4
Q

5

Describe Locke’s views on natural rights

A
  • In state of nature, human nature underpinned by ‘natural laws’ and ‘natural rights’ (inherent before society’s establishment)
  • Laws post-social contract should follow and confirm natural rights and natural laws
  • Natural rights are negative rights - not subject to interference from state/another individuals
  • Locke defined ‘natural rights’ as ‘life, liberty and property’
  • Government only legitimate if it legally protected natural rights
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5
Q

4

Describe Locke’s limited government

A
  • Intereference in society and economy should be limited
  • Would ensure state always represented interests of governed and required their ongoing consent
  • Constitutionalism
  • Powers should be divided between different agencies to prevent abuse of power
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6
Q

3

Describe Locke’s views on the economy

A
  • Private property is natural right
  • State’s roles to arbitrate between individuals competing for trade and resources
  • Supportive of some tax e.g. to fund judiciary, police, etc
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7
Q

3

Describe Locke’s views on human nature

A
  • Humans guided by rational self-interest
  • But are concerned for others
  • Tolerance of alternative religious and political views
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8
Q

4

List key quotes from Locke on the state

A
  • ‘Government had no other end, but the preservation of poverty’
  • ‘life, liberty and property’
  • ‘tyranny is the exercise of power beyond right’
  • An ‘absolute monarchy… can be no form of civil government’
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9
Q

3

List key quotes from Locke on natural laws

A
  • ‘Where laws do not exist, man had no freedom’
  • ‘The state of nature has a law to govern it…’
  • ‘life, liberty and property’
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10
Q

1

List key quotes from Locke on reason

A
  • ‘Reason must be our last Judge and Guide in every Thing’
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11
Q

4

Describe Wollstonecraft’s reason

A
  • Positive view of all human nature, viewing men and women as equally capable of rational thought
  • Therefore boys and girls should be educated together
  • Should have equal opprtunity for careers in marriage (‘friendship of equals’)
  • Free exercise of individualism necessary if society is to progress culturally and economically
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12
Q

5

Describe Wollstonecraft’s formal equality

A
  • Argued truth of female reason was ignored by contemporary society and economy
  • Society and economy ‘infantilised’ women denying them formal equality
  • All citizens enjoy full civil liberties and be allowed to have a career
  • Women should be granted legal independence once married (lacked at time of writing)
  • All citizens should be free from discrimination
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13
Q

4

Describe Wollstonecraft’s views on the state

A
  • Supported Locke’s social contract theory
  • Considered divine right of kings an ‘absurdity’
  • Monarchical states should be replaced by Republican states that entrench women’s rights
  • Vocally supportive of American and French revolutions
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14
Q

2

Describe Wollstonecraft’s views on the economy

A
  • Liberated women would thrive in and enhance free-market economy
  • Supported greater legal rights in public sphere: employment and property ownership
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15
Q

3

Describe Wollstonecraft’s criticism of women

A
  • Women largely to blame (alongside men) for their inferior position
  • Had historically accepted male superiority
  • Women are the ‘prey of their senses’
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16
Q

6

List Wollstonecraft’s key quotes

A
  • ‘the mind has no gender’
  • ‘the personal is private’ (all relationships between men and women based on power in private sphere)
  • ‘friendship of equals’
  • ‘prey of their senses’
  • society ‘infantilised’ women
  • monarchy an ‘absurbidty’
17
Q

4

Describe Mill’s harm principle

A
  • Individuals should be free to take any action they judge fit, provided these did not harm others
  • ‘self-regarding’ actions (e.g. freedom of speech, religious worship, even suicide) should not be subject to any restriction
  • ‘other-regarding’ actions (violence) should be subject to restriction if they may cause harm to others
  • Led to strong belief in tolerance of alternative ways of living
18
Q

4

Describe Mill’s tolerance

A
  • Popularity of a view does not necessarily make it correct.
  • Should not conform to certain customs - do not crush self-expression
  • Should not force ideas upon another, instead debate them
  • Free speech - leads to innovation of ideas
19
Q

2

Describe Mill’s earlier views on negative liberty

A
  • Government should interfere as little as practically possible in society, especially in economic activity
  • Common good not sufficient reason to impose restrictions on liberty
20
Q

2

Describe Mill’s later views on positive liberty

A
  • Later argued state had moral right to intervene to help individuals attain developmental individualism by providing universal education
  • Saw these ideas as continuation of classical liberalism, not a contradiction
21
Q

4

Describe Mill’s views on individualism

A
  • Individual liberty was essential in development of individual in areas of creativity, culture and intellect
  • Whole society would benefit
  • Very supportive of free speech
  • Humans could continually improve
22
Q

3

Describe Mill’s views on popular democracy

A
  • Opposed popular democracy where interest of few could be crushed by interests of majority (‘tyranny of the majority’)
  • spoke of electoral reform and sceptic of referendums
  • Fearful of mob rule - wary of uneducated voting
23
Q

4

Describe Mill’s views on representative democracy

A
  • Representatives would aggregate views of individuals
  • Mass education a means to facilitate developmental individualism (universal education must precede universal suffrage)
  • Therefore only educated could vote
  • Plural voting for those with higher levels of education
24
Q

4

List key quotes from JSM

A
  • should pursue individual freedom as long as we do not ‘deprive others of theirs’
  • ‘experiments in living’
  • ‘tyranny of the majority’
  • ‘Whatever crushes individuality is despotism’
25
Q

3

Describe Rawls’ veil of ignorance

A
  • Individuals agree on the type of society from position of ignorance where they are unaware of their personal circumstances
  • Experiment would lead to enabling state, little inequality, equality of opportunity
  • Lesser pay gaps unless difference principle justified
26
Q

5

Describe Rawls’ theory of justice

A
  • Added to formal equality, the need for social and economic equality
  • Just society must provide equality of opportunity for everyone
  • Enabling state required
  • Therefore any remaining inequalities can not be blamed on unequal access and structures of society
  • Difference principle (distributive justice)
27
Q

3

Describe Rawls’ distributive justice

A
  • Inequality could be justified in a modern capitalist society
  • Justified as long as economic prosperity did not come at expense of others
  • Difference principle
28
Q

2

Describe Rawls’ difference principle

A
  • Economic systems be organised so that the least advantaged members of society are better off than they would be in any alternative economic arrangement (including one of equality of outcome)
  • Could lead to extensive inequality
29
Q

Describe Rawls’ 3 principles of justice

A
  • Freedom (harm principle)
  • Equal opportunity
  • Difference principle
30
Q

3

List key quotes from Rawls

A
  • ‘any inequalities must be maximum benefit of the disadvantaged’
  • ‘property owning democracy’
  • ‘difference principle’
31
Q

1

What did Rawls mean by a ‘property owning democracy’

A
  • Ownership is widely distributed so that poorest members of society can be economically independent
32
Q

4

Describe Friedan’s views on individual freedom

A
  • Central to Friedan philosophy
  • Individuals should be free to achieve their potential
  • This self-realisation went to the heart of her beliefs
  • Gender hinders women as they are constantly discriminated against
33
Q

2

Describe Friedan’s legal equality

A
  • Agreed with MW that women are as capable as men
  • Oppressive laws and dominant cultural attitudes should be overturned
34
Q

4

Describe Friedan’s views on the private sphere

A
  • Agreed that state held limited role in private sphere
  • Argued women were often trapped in domestic life
  • Needed to be able to leave the private sphere if they wished and enter the public world of politics, education and work
  • Differs from MW all private relationships are based on power
35
Q

4

Describe Friedan’s equal opportunity

A
  • Women are principal victims of lack of opportunity and life choices in society
  • Limited number of jobs considered acceptable to women
  • Owing to dominant patriarchal attitudes e.g. male-dominated advertising industry
  • Influenced by classical liberal view that a state based on liberal principles would allow successful combination of marriage, motherhood and career
36
Q

4

Describe Friedan’s views on the state

A
  • Supported modern liberal view that enabling state could assist women in achieving positive freedom
  • State could counter dominant patriarchal values that discriminate against women
  • Could ensure equality of opporunity and foundational equality
  • Would inlcude state benefits for single, divorced and widowed mothers
37
Q

1

What did Friedan view as the principal driver of the patriarchy?

A

Dominant cultural attitudes, rather than the state

38
Q

3

List key quotes from Friedan

A
  • ‘chosen motherhood is the real liberation’
  • housework ‘stifled’ women / ‘is this all?’
  • ‘the problem with no name’
39
Q

1

What did Friedan mean by ‘the problem with no name’

A

Relates to housewives’ lack of purpose/opportunities

Politics Paper 1 (27 decks)

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