‘Explain and analyse 3 ways in which liberals have viewed human nature’
Liberalism is a political ideology with the individual and their rights as its core.
This essay will discuss how individual Liberals and liberals as a whole view
human nature. Furthermore, the essay will present the views of classical
liberals like Locke that believe that humans are self-seeking, rational and
independent, however, this does involve practicing restraint and some level of
cooperation with other; and modern liberals like Mill, that believed that humans
should be able to grow and pursue their own version of the good life.
One-way Liberals have viewed human nature is that individuals are generally
rational, intelligent, keen to prioritise their individual happiness and fulfilment,
and respectful of other individuals’. Furthermore, they believe individualism
needs to be protected and there should be toleration of different values, beliefs
and versions of the good life. Liberalism’s optimistic view of human nature
emerged from the Enlightenment and opposed the religious view that
humankind is imperfect and flawed, found in the concept of original sin.
Another way in which Liberals have viewed human nature is that individuals are
innately blessed with such qualities. This view comes from classical liberals like
Locke, and neo-liberals like Hayek. John Locke was a key thinker in classical
Liberalism, with his work, ‘Two treaties of Government’, attacking the idea that
the monarchy has a natural right to rule over others and establishing a liberal
justification for a minimal state. Locke argued humans are naturally free, equal
and independent and are not naturally under the authority of any other body or
person; and that human beings are rational, guided by the pursuit of self-
interest, but mindful of others’ concerns.
The last way in which Liberals have viewed human nature is that such qualities
of rationality, intelligence, priority of happiness and respectful of other
individuals are potential features of human nature, to be developed by
enlightened liberal authorities. This is the view of modern liberals such as Mill
and Rawl. Mill provided the bridge between classical liberalism and modern
liberalism by developing early liberal thinking on freedom and individualism,
especially through his key work ‘On liberty’. Mill developed the concept of
negative freedom, arguing that freedom was the absence of restraint as this
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