Pattern's Argument Of Liberal Neutrality

Pattern defends neutrality of treatment as a concept of liberal neutrality because he believes that minority rights are grounded in liberal neutrality, and thus neutrality of treatment is the only way to sufficiently provide and protect minority rights. Neutrality of treatment believes that the “state should treat two or more conceptions of the good life equally” (Pattern 27). A weakness in Pattern’s argument, is his support of equal recognition of cultural groups, because it violates the foundation of liberal neutrality and creates favoritism surrounding the recolonized cultural group’s perception of the good life, hindering a person’s ability to participate in self-determination.
To begin with, liberal neutrality is based on the concept that a liberal state should not promote any interest or views that endorses a perception of the good life, and should remain neutral among citizen’s different opinion (104). When Pattern argues his concept of equal recognition of cultures, he is limiting neutrality of treatment from being accepted as a concept of liberal neutrality. This is because cultures usually have a perceived notion of what the good life consists of within the constraint of their group, this can be based on a religious preferences, language, or artistic values. When a state chooses to equally recognize different culture groups then they are …show more content…
In addition, the concept of equal recognition disallows individuals from perusing their concept of the good life through self-determination, because some cultural groups are perceived to be better based on the government’s recognition of it. The only possible way for a state to be truly neutral is to remain from accepting any perception of the good life, whether it be an individual’s perception or a cultures