1 / 18

Classical Liberalism

Classical Liberalism. Emphasis on Individual Liberty As humans are fundamentally rational Everyone should have equal opportunities Origins can be traced to a reaction against the rigid medieval social structure Religious Conformity Ascribed Status . Religious Conformity.

sveta
Download Presentation

Classical Liberalism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Classical Liberalism • Emphasis on Individual Liberty • As humans are fundamentally rational • Everyone should have equal opportunities • Origins can be traced to a reaction against the rigid medieval social structure • Religious Conformity • Ascribed Status

  2. Religious Conformity • No distinction between Church and State • Join forces to ensure conformity to the doctrines of the Church

  3. Ascribed Status • Social Standing fixed or “ascribed” at birth • Clergy, Nobility, Commoners, and Serfs • Were born into one rank and would die in that rank • No opportunity to advance

  4. Triggering Events • The reaction to these events did not take place until a number of social, economic, and cultural changes disturbed the medieval order • Many of these were directly related to the outburst of creativity in the 14th and 15th centuries known as the Renaissance

  5. Triggering Events • The Black Death • 1347-1351 • killed one of three people • Created new opportunities for survivors

  6. Triggering Events • Expansion of trade, commerce, and exploration • Columbus’ discovery of a “new world” was a symbol of great possibilities

  7. Triggering Events • Protestant Reformation • 1521 Luther nailed 95 these to church door • Favored strict attention to scripture • Unintentionally paved way for individual liberty

  8. Triggering Events • England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688 • Taxation battle between the House of Stuart and Parliament • Mainly a war of words • Produced much thought and theorizing

  9. Thomas Hobbes • Wrote Leviathan • Felt people should obey those in power • But, because of self interest rather than God’s command

  10. Hobbes • Imagined people in a State of Nature’ • All have natural right to do what they want • Problem is Human Nature • With no authority, war of all against all • So, fearful and rational individuals enter into a social contract to establish authority

  11. John Locke • Individuals are rational • Inconveniences in State of Nature • Enter into Social Contract to protect Life, Liberty, and Property • Emphasis on Consent and Limited Government

  12. Liberalism as a System of Thought • First Coherent and Systematic theory • (Other than religion) • Four inter-related components: • Epistemology • Human Nature • Community • Politics

  13. V. Religion as an Ideology • Tells you: what you can know • what are essential qualities of human nature • what society is like • gives direction on how to lead life • If illiberal, is disallowed • otherwise consumer choice as long as act liberal the rest of the week

  14. Epistemology • How we know what we know • Every individual can have direct knowledge of the world • New way of looking at world • 16th/17th c. Bacon, etc. • Science • Rejection of medieval conception of knowledge • Only certain people could know • Hierarchical control of knowledge

  15. Liberal Epistemology • Rational: integrative, rule-governed thinking • Mechanism of thought is the same for all • Through REFLECTION have access to world • World is also rule-governed and rational • Parallels our way of thinking • Capacity to ABSTRACT • Can apply what we know to other situations • Knowledge can change what people are • Our behavior reflects our epistemology

  16. Human Nature • Fundamentally Rational Individuals • People are basically good with good intentions • Have passions and desires but, through reason, can control and direct actions • Are primarily motivated by self-interest • Inherently Competitive • Emphasis on Individual Liberty and Rights • Seems very natural in English-speaking world

  17. Community • Fundamentally Asocial (islands) • Concerned with others to extent influence us • For example: State of Nature • no society • no socio-historical circumstances • no context • no community • just happen to live together so form a polity

  18. Polity • Produced by people who reason independently and equally • Community is not much of a concern • Need to interact, so form state to regulate exchange; State is a Mediator • Locke: limited government, protect property • Emphasis on fairness and equality • Reform aspect: test social arrangements to try to make better

More Related