To what extent is liberalism more concerned with society than with the economy?
Liberalism is a political ideology that emerged in the 17th century due to the conflicts
between the rising middle classes who challenged the idea of ‘divine right of kings’ and
absolute monarchs. Whilst some may argue that liberalism is more concerned with the
economy than the society, through the themes of freedom, meritocracy and women it is clear
that Liberalism is more concerned with society rather than the economy.
The strongest and most convincing argument that demonstrates that Liberalism is more
concerned with society than the economy is Freedom. Liberalism is mainly centred around
the idea of ‘freedom and rights’. John Locke, who is often considered the ‘father of
liberalism’ argues for a very limited state which only protects ‘life liberty and property’ in
order to not encroach on other people’s rights. One of his key ‘ideas’ was the idea of limited
government which is regulated by a constitution which he believed would protect the
freedom of people as it would make it difficult for the government to be tyrannical.
Additionally, John Stuart Mill, another Liberal thinker supported the idea of a ‘harm
principle’.The idea of the harm principle is that the government should not interfere in
people’s lives unless they are causing harm to others. It could be argued that Liberals are
more concerned with the economy rather than society as the economy is an important part
of the freedom liberals advocate. Liberals believe that private property is a fundamental
natural right which means that Liberalism is strongly associated with the principles of private
enterprise and private ownershipHowever this argument is limited as while the economy
does play a role in the idea of ‘freedom’ in LIberalism. Liberalism is not just about freedom of
markets but also about freedom on a wider scale.
Another argument that underlines how Liberalism is more concerned about society than the
economy is Meritocracy, this is the idea that human beings should be defined by merit and
ability rather than the social circumstances of their birth.One of the fundamental pillars of
Liberalism is meritocracy, which simply means power to those who deserve it. Liberalism
started as opposition to autocracy and ideologies that prevent social mobility, namely
feudalism, they advocate for a society that is dominated by the most talented and industrious
people. Liberalism dismisses the idea of someone exercising power not based on reason.It
could be contested that Liberalism is more concerned about the economy than society when
it comes to Meritocracy as the economy is linked to meritocracy. This could be argued
because meritocracy is part of a debate about what people should dominate the
economy.However, this argument is flawed because there is a definitive link between the
economy and meritocracy but the idea of meritocracy in Liberalism comes from rejecting the
power of the absolute monarchs it is not primarily do with the economy.
A final argument that highlights how Liberalism is more concerned about society than the
economy is women. One of the defining ideas of liberalism is the idea of equality for men
and women. This idea was introduced by Mary Wollstonecraft. In her famous work ‘a
vindication in the rights of women’ she challenged the orthodox view of the time that women
were less rational than men. She argued that marriage should be of two equals as a
husband’s tyranny over his wife is wrong in the same way as tyranny over the people was
wrong’. As a result of this she argued that as women are equal to men they should be free to
,choose what career they want to do and that employers should hire both genders. Her ideas
were developed by modern liberal thinker Betty Friedan’ who argued for equality of
opportunity for women when it came to employment. She argued against employers
discriminating against women.It could be argued that the theme of women is inherently
about the economy rather than society as both liberal thinkers Wollstonecraft and Friedan
argue for women to have a role in the economy.However, this argument is flawed because
Liberalism argues for society to change rather than the economy.Betty Friedan argued that it
was ‘cultural channels’ such as schools, media and organised religion that created ‘cultural
conditioning’ which limited women’s potential.
In conclusion, it is evident that Liberalism is more concerned with society rather than the
economy. This is most clear when examining the theme of Freedom. While others may
argue that liberalism is more concerned with the economy due to the idea of economic
liberalism, who should dominate the economy,women being involved in the economy,
however these arguments are limited as Liberalism is ultimately defined by wanting to reform
society. Therefore it is clear that Liberalism is more concerned with society rather than
economy.
To what extent does Liberalism have a fear of the state?
Liberalism can be defined as the belief in the importance of the individual over the group ,the
belief in the importance of freedom and that the state is a “necessary evil”. Liberalism
emerged in the 17th century to the rising middle class conflicting with the absolute monarch
as they feared the power of authority. To a large extent, Liberalism has a fear of the state;
this viewpoint will be made clear through examining the factor of rights, economy and
society.
The strong and most convincing argument that underlines how Liberalism has a fear of the
state is Rights. Classical liberals in particular believe that the state has the potential to harm
people’s ‘natural rights’ showing how they fear the state. John Locke, who is widely
considered the father of liberalism, argued for a limited government due to this belief.Also,
Classical liberals believe in negative rights which are the rights that occur when the state
leaves individuals alone. Classical liberals are staunch supporters of negative rights as they
believe that individuals are most free when state intervention is limited. This belief is shown
through ‘Locke’s social contract’ which states that if the government is not protecting
people’s natural rights the people have a right to overthrow it. This shows how classical
liberals are suspicious of the state.However, some may argue that the theme of rights shows
how there is not a fear of the state in Liberalism as modern liberals believe in positive rights
which are rights that the states provide. They may argue that as positive rights such as
providing access to education and water are clear acts of state intervention, liberals do not
have a fear of the state.However, this argument is limited as both types of liberalism believe
in negative rights which shows how both factions of liberalism, although to different extents
have a mistrust of the state.
, Another argument that shows how Liberalism has a fear of the state is the Economy.
Classical liberals believe in the ‘invisible hand theory’ of Adam Smith which argues that a
problem in the economy will be solved through rational individuals acting through their best
interests which shows classical liberals do not want state involvement in the economy.
Also.Classical liberals place an emphasis on the idea of owning property as they believe that
it gives people a stake in society. This shows how Classical liberals fear the state when it
comes to the economy as they fear that the state interfering into the economy to redistribute
wealth could limit their ability to own property.Additionally, Classical liberals do not believe
that the state has a role in enforcing meritocracy and believe that meritocracy occurs
naturally.On the other hand, some may argue that Liberalism does not have a fear of the
state in the economy as modern Liberals believe in Keynesian economics. Modern liberals
believe that the market is not always self resolving and that sometimes it is necessary for the
state to get involved, for example to create jobs to prevent unemployment. They may argue
that as Modern liberals justify state intervention they do not have a fear of the
state.However, this argument is limited as Liberals ultimately believe in Capitalism.This
shows how they still have a mistrust in the state as they still want the state to have a limited
role in the economy.
The final argument that underlines how Liberalism has a fear of the state is society. In John
Locke’s book ‘letters concerning toleration’ he argues for total religious freedom. As Locke
was writing at a time of religious persecution it shows there is a fear of the state in Liberalism
as they reject the state trying to alter someone’s religious identity. Additionally John Stuart
Mill’s Harm Principle shows the fear of the state. The Harm principle states that the state
should not be involved in an individual's life unless they are harming people. This shows that
there is a fear of the state in liberalism .There is an opposing viewpoint that Liberalism does
not have a fear of the state in society. As some Liberals believe that the state should enforce
social equality. As an example of this is Betty Friedan, who is a modern liberal thinker who
believes that the state should ensure women are being treated equally by passing anti-
discriminatory laws which suggests that Liberals do not have a fear of the state as they
encourage the state to get involved in societal matters.However, this argument is limited as
enforcing legal equality between the sexes is one of the few exceptions to Liberals not
wanting the state to intervene in society.Also, Liberals would not want the state to get
involved in other issues involving women e.g Abortion as they would believe it infringes on
women’s rights.
In conclusion, it is evident that Liberalism has a fear of the state. This is most clear when
examining the theme of rights as Liberals are fearful that the state may deprive them of their
rights. While some may argue that Liberals do not have a fear of the state due to modern
liberals believing in positive rights and Keynesian economics, all liberals still believe in
negative rights and capitalism. Therefore, it is clear that Liberalism has a fear of the state as
they believe in the quote ‘Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ by Lord
Acton.
To what extent is socialism more disunited than united?
Socialism is a political ideology that can largely be defined as opposition to
capitalism.Socialism dates back to the mid 19th century where people became increasingly
