Liberalism
Provenance of key thinkers:
Locke – Lived in a strong feudal system, where people were confined to servitude (subjects
of the state) under a ‘God-chosen’ monarch and couldn’t progress own wealth. General
belief people were imbued with original sin so shouldn’t think for themselves and should be
controlled.
This change in attitudes to pre-liberal values was called ‘The Enlightenment’.
Wollstonecraft – 18th Century England. Enlightenment’s optimistic view of human nature
true, but women were still not seen as individuals and had large legal barriers facing them.
French and American revolutions were seeing more legal freedoms for men, which she
supported, but not women.
Mill – Wrote when men gained more legal freedoms (like voting in Second Reform Act 1867),
and saw this expansion as beneficial due to human’s progressive nature.
Green – Late Victorian era, where rapid societal change through industrialisation,
urbanisation and mechanisation began to see people robbed of opportunity to develop and
be individuals, as people seen as ‘unskilled labour’ due to machines.
Rawls – Writing in 1971, shift in economic attitudes to capitalism (resulting in Thatcher). He
defended dying vogue for Keynesian intervention.
Friedan – In 1960s America women had been given legal freedoms, but were not taking the
opportunity due to oppression from society, and were stuck in the role of housewives.
Human Nature
Classical Liberalism:
Individualistic – We are all driven by self-interest. We all naturally seek to discover our true
selves, attain a reality where our lives are attributed to our own efforts and a full utilisation
of our natural rights. Without access to these, we naturally become demoralised,
de-energised and gain a sense of a wasted life.
Rational – Although self-centred, we are naturally reasonable, rational and respectful to
others, as our rationality allows us to realise that selfishness could rebound to our
disadvantage as others wouldn’t respect us. We are also capable of applying reason to the
world around us and we can question and explain things.
Progressive – Human nature is not set in stone, but instead continually develops and
progresses as we gain knowledge and experience. Hence, by nature our pursuit of pleasure
becomes more nuanced and sophisticated.
Not gendered - Wollstonecraft
Classical Thinkers
, Locke – Naturally good and rational. Natural Rights Theory said we were imbued with natural
rights to life, liberty and property. Hence, the State of Nature was naturally good and better
than serving an absolute monarchy, and individual humans can achieve great things.
Wollstonecraft – Women have the same exact individualism as men, although she was
seeking to find out whether they were suited to same public sphere of work. However, HN
also requires some education to allow women to realise their individual potential and men
to realise absurdity of illiberal principles (e.g Divine Right of Kings). Allowing women into
public sphere of work would allow their development.
Mill – Humans are naturally rational and pursue ‘self-regarding’ actions, which do not harm
others and usually benefit ourselves. HN is also a work in progress, as we are continually
developing ourselves through experience etc - ‘Developmental individualism’ - hence are not
necessarily born 100% rational
Modern Liberalism:
Individualistic – Believed human nature was more altruistic, rather than solely pursuing
self-gain.
Rational – Human nature to have some state intervention that interferes with freedom of
society to help the least privileged, as it is the rational and altruistic thing to do.
Progressive – State intervention is therefore required to allow all individuals opportunity to
grow.
Not gendered - Friedan
Modern Thinkers:
Rawls – As above, but believed our nature meant that we would always choose an
expansion of an enabling state, especially with a ‘veil of ignorance’ (where we wouldn’t
know our economic situation in a society), largely due to our natural rationalism and
empathy.
Green – Progressive by nature, however we can’t always develop without enabling state.
Friedan – Believed women rational in the same way as men, and capable of holding
important jobs in public sphere.
State
Classical liberalism:
Rejection of anarchism – Due to human’s rational, individualistic nature, people should be
allowed to pursue their own goals and be in control of their own lives. They should not be
mindless servants of a monarch. Instead, the state should serve them to uphold their natural
rights, while allowing economic freedom, so argued for minimal state.
Promote gender equality - Wollstonecraft
Classical Thinkers:
