To what extent do liberals agree on the role of the state. (24 marks)
Intro: Liberalism: Based on liberty, consent of the governed and equality before all law.
All believe state needed to maintain Hobbesian state of nature
Has capacity to threaten individual liberty
Locke advocates minimal whilst Rawls favours enabling
Para 1: Believe in the necessity of the state.
Without state there would be conflict between individuals pursuing egoistic aims.
State should play the role of referee.
Locke: ‘where there is no law there is no freedom’
Lord Acton: ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’
Consensual contract between government and governed
Favour constitutionalism and separation of powers
Para 2: Tension over the extent of state interventionism
Classical liberals= negative freedom (Berlin) people should be free from intervention.
Autonomous, atomistic and self-reliant
Wollestonecraft also argued that restraining women limits stock on intelligence and
morality - ‘not conditions where reason and progress may prosper’. Undermining a gender
opposes the spirit of enlightenment
But…
Rawls argued that social and economic equality were also needed
For an enabling state via progressive taxation and public spending.
Supported by William Beveridge ‘a starving man is not free’
John Stuart Mill’s developmental individualism
Modern liberals view state as facilitator of freedom
Para 3: classical liberals= laissez-faire capitalism whilst modern liberals= keynesian
Debates over economics state from the rise of capitalism after the industrial revolution
Adam Smith Wealth of nations 1776, self-interest drives economic growth.
Free-market economics epitomised by Thatcher and Reagan in the 1980s who pursued
privatisation and rolling back of taxes.
The state is now Lockean and should only be involved to enforce contracts and maintain
social order.
But…
Modern believe in more state intervention.
Keynesian economics where if government spending increases and all factors remain the
same, output will increase.
State should stimulate the economy in times of crisis by reducing taxes and increasing
spending.
2023 response to UK’s shrinking economy which arguably reflects neoliberalism
Enabling versus limited state
Conclusion:
Embrace state as a supporter of individual freedom
Fear of overly concentrated state prevented by separation of powers
Differ on the extent of state intervention.
Enabling vs limited state
, Evaluate the extent to which modern and classical liberals agree on the
importance of the individual over society (24)
Intro: Liberalism: Based on liberty, consent of the governed and equality before all law.
The importance of the individual is at the heart of liberal ideology
Recognise the power of self-interest and egoism
Tensions lie in how the importance of the individual lies in response to tackling social
injustice
Para 1: Tackling social justice through the veil of ignorance vs limited state to
enable individual freedom- egoistical vs developmental individualism
Rawls argued that social and economic equality were also needed
Supported by William Beveridge ‘a starving man is not free’
John Stuart Mill’s developmental individualism
HRA 1998, Race Relations Act
Support positive discrimination to re-address imbalance
Takes a more collectivist stance
But…
Classical liberals would view this as limiting the individual freedom
Limited state maximises individual freedom
Locke: ‘No body can give more power than he has himself’
Para 2: Agree on sovereignty of the individual
Automatic distaste for excessive power held by the state
Lord Acton ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’
Individuals are egoistical and this minimises the importance of society
Individuals are all equal
Locke: ‘being all equal…no one ought to harm another’
Believe that tolerance is a natural right- should not be taken away against the will of the
individual
In modern societies, it is a clash between the liberal West and forces against individualism
for example Islamic West e.g 911
Para 3: Agree on the rationality of the individual
Liberalism is a secular ideology and views the era of enlightenment as a facilitator of
rationalism within society
Freed from superstition
Bias against paternalism, optimistic view of the individual
Mill: ‘Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign’
People should take responsibility for themselves rather than take instruction
Liberals against public education as it can seek to undermine rationalism
Fear of tyranny of uneducated majority
The law and state is required to prevent this and support the freedoms of the minority
State plays role of referee
Locke: ‘where there is no law there is no freedom’
State should prevent rational individuals from conflicting as they pursue their egoistic aims
Conclusion:
Disagree on the point of state intervention to prevent social injustice and protect the freedom
of the individual as a minority
Agree on the sovereignty of the individual and their position as a rational individual
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