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50 Cards in this Set
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Social Contract |
The liberal idea that individuals in the hypothetical state of nature, would agree to form a state in order to enjoy the benefits of a "neutral umpire" |
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Civil society |
A realm of autonomous associations and groups, formed by private and enjoying independence from the government includes businesses, clubs and pressure groups, families, friendship groups and so on |
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Egoistical individualism |
The view that humans are essentially self interested but rational and thus self - reliant |
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Equality of opportunity (general definition) |
Each individual should have the same chance to rise or fall in society; they should have an equal opportunity to develop their unequal talents |
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The Enlightenment Project |
A European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasising reason and individualism rather than tradition |
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Negative Freedom |
The absence of external constraints on the individual, allowing him or her freedom of choice |
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Utilitarianism |
An ethical theory which equates pleasure with goodness |
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John Locke |
Thought that life in the state of nature would be inconvenient because of the lack of a neutral referee |
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Justice |
A moral standard of fairness and impartiality. For liberals, this means various types of equality |
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Formal Equality |
Legal equality: Free and equal individuals should enjoy equality before the law. This connects with the concept of the rule of law Political equality: liberals believe in one person one vote |
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Positive freedom |
Self mastery(the achievement of autonomy) and self realisation( the development of human capacities) The possession of the power and resources to fulfil ones potential |
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Laissez - faire |
The doctrine that economic activity should be entirely free from government interference, an extreme belief in the free market |
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Social liberalism |
The view that the state should provide welfare support for its citizens by overcoming poverty, disease and ignorance |
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The state of nature |
A hypothetical, pre political society characterised by unrestrained free and absence of established authority |
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Adam Smith |
Wrote that "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker that we expect our dinner but from regard to their own interests" |
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Majoritarianism |
A belief in the rule of the majority: the belief that the minority should defer to the judgement of the majority |
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Social Darwinism |
The application of "survival of the fittest" theory to society: the strong will rise to the top and the week will fall to the bottom Samuel Smiles: " heaven helps those who help themselves" Richard cobden: "look only to yourself" |
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Natural rights theory |
Locke and Jefferson believed that humans have god given rights- entitlements to act or be treated in a particular way. They are inalienable - cannot be taken away |
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Atomism |
A belief that society is made up of a collection of self interested and largely self interested individuals rather than social groups |
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Higher and lower pleasures |
Mill thought that some pleasures develop much more intellectual,mor and aesthetic abilities/sensitivity than others Personal self development was more important than crude pleasure seeking |
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Economic liberalism |
The economic viewpoint of classical liberalism, which emphasises the free market and a laissez - faire approach by the state. The invisible hand of market forces will regulate the economy who thought requiring state intervention |
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Friedrich Von Hayek |
Argued that state economic planning is always inefficient because bureaucrats cannot possibly cope with the vast range of information necessary to run an economy |
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A balanced society |
Liberals think that even where individuals are pursuing very different interests, a deeper harmony or balance exists |
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Neo-liberalism |
The revival of economic liberalism since the 1970s |
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Welfare state |
A state that takes primary responsibility for the social welfare of its citizens discharged through a range of social - security, health, education and other services The 1942 aim in the UK was to tackle the "five giants" of want disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness |
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Foundational Equality |
Human beings are born equal I'm the sense that each individual is of equal moral worth |
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Formal Equality of opportunity |
The non - discrimination principle (favoured by classic liberals) It is achieved by allocating competitive places through an open call to applicants followed by fair judging |
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Autonomy |
Self government; the ability to control ones own destiny by virtue of enjoying independence from external influences |
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Ethical individualism |
The view that society should be constructed so as to benefit the individual Individual needs should take precedence over group needs |
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Liberal Democracy |
A political regime in which a liberal commitment to limited government is blended with a democratic belief in the rule of the people |
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Constitutionalism |
The practice of limited government, brought about by a constitution The attempt to protect the liberty of the individual by using external contraints and internal contraints on government |
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Paternalism |
Authority exercised from above for the guidance and support of those below, modelled on the relationship between fathers and children |
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Substantive equality of opportunity |
The modern liberal recognition that because people have unequal starting points be either addressed or taken into account |
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Reason |
The capacity to calculate and think clearly; the power of the mind to think, understand and form judgments by a process of logic |
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Pluralism |
A belief in diversity or choice; a belief in the lack of any general will |
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Enabling state |
A state which seeks to enable it's citizens to realise their potential- the stats seeks to open up opportunities for citizens, not just in theory but also in practice |
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The harm principle |
The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community against his will, is to prevent harm to others John Stuart Mill |
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Keynesian economic management |
The attempt by the state to create economic growth by borrowing to finance government investment (new schools & hospitals) to boost aggregate demand and thus create jobs |
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Relative equality of outcome |
A narrowing of the wealth gap between the wealthiest and the poorest in society, without abolishing the gap altogether |
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Rationalism |
The belief that the universe has a rational structure, which can be disclosed through the application of human reason and critical enquiry |
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Meritocracy |
Rule by those with merit; a society in which social position is determined exclusively by i) ability and ii) hard work |
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Altruism |
Concern for the interests and welfare of others, based either upon enlightened self interest or a belief in a common humanity |
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Consent |
The granting of permission, by the people, to be governed |
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John Stuart Mill |
His ideas are sometimes seen as the "heart of liberalism" |
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Individuality |
Self - fulfilment achieved through the realisation of an individual's distinctive or unique identity or qualities that which distinguishes one person from all others |
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Methodological Individualism |
The view that the individual is central to all theories and explanations; the individual is the fundamental unit of political analysis Thatcher; "there is no such thing as society, there are individual men and women and there are families" |
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Developmental Individualism |
The view that human flourishing is more important then interstate satisfaction |
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T.H Green |
Thought that the economic liberty of the few has blighted the life chances of the many Humans are capable of some altruism Individual do possess some social responsibilities |
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John Rawls |
Thought that if we were designing a fair society behind a "veil of ignorance", we'd create a relatively egalitarian society where the only differences actually benefited the less well off |
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Milton Friedman |
Criticised "keynesian" economic interventions by the state by arguing that high government spending only increases inflation without reducing unemployment |
