Classical liberalism

Introduction: Since the founding of the United States of America as a republic in 1776, the country has constantly taken steps to further civil liberties, and exemplify not only a military and political hegemon, but also a moral one. From abolishing slavery to eradicating the Jim Crow laws to the Civil rights Movement, the country has lived up to its Constitution and founding values such liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, movements such as Black Lives Matter demonstrate how the Black…

During the nineteenth century there were two concepts of governmental belief, Liberalism and Conservatism. Both concepts displayed beliefs as to how a country should be run. Liberalism though specifically is a political philosophy emphasizing on the economic liberty of the individual as opposed to utilitarianism. This political group expresses several ideas in regards to freedom of speech, equal opportunity, how powerful the government should be, market economies, as well as free trade.…

Political-Economic Stances on Social Security: Liberalism and Social Democracy By merely glancing at political systems across the world, it is clear that politics and the economy are inextricably tied. Both are institutions that maintain a balance between freedom and equality, and both are associated with a variety of ideologies regarding what the best balance is (O’Neil 2013, 101 & 112). We often see how politics and economics influence each other, with economic regulation in policy, and a…

radition and modernity are two polar opposite societies that have been compared, contrasted, and debated for decades. Although tradition and modernity both have their strengths and weaknesses, modernity tends to benefit the interests of the individual better whereas traditional society focuses on the benefits of the group. While traditional society can often come across as a cruder way of life than modernity, there are certain aspects of the society that modernity lacks. Where traditional…

With the presidential elections coming up in November, students at Saint Michael’s have different views on who should be the next the President. In order to assess where students stand politically and how robust the conversation about politics on campus is, a few interviews were conducted of both students and faculty about how Trump supporters feel expressing their views on campus. Trump supporters at Saint Michael’s usually don 't feel comfortable expressing their political beliefs on campus.…

nature” finds its expression in political thought, Davis explains that: [Utopia] ran athwart the political languages of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; rejecting immemorialism, cutting across constitutionalism, abandoning patriarchalism, classical republicanism and order theory, and turning its back on ideas of sovereignty…it wags its finger at other modes of thought. As a ‘figure in discourse,’ it is ‘written and imagined within the discourse which criticizes it’ and which it, in turn,…

Choose One: Power Happines Freedom For all of history there has existed the struggle between the strong and the weak. The establishment of government gives the power to a particular group to decide the amount of freedom the majority is allowed, however, though not ideal it provides necessary order. The benefits of security that limitations on freedom provides must be balanced with the individual's pursuit of happiness for citizens to be content. To prevent the governed majority from…

Was Napoleon a Tyrant? Was he someone who believed in the ideals of the revolution? Or merely an opportunist? In Clive Emsley’s book he explores the entirety of Napoleon Bonaparte’s life up until he is finally defeated in 1815. The book is broken up into four parts that give the historiographic facts on napoleons career, the narrative of napoleons life, his assessment of napoleons achievements and supporting documentation. Emsley’s focus is quite broad in the sense that it looks at his military…

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Enlightenment was a movement that motivated people to base their ideas to gain intellectual reasons on God, humanity, and nature. The idea was to gain logic, reasoning, critical thinking, and questioning which led to higher education. The Enlightenment influenced people to think philosophically. The Revolutionary War began in year 1775 and had ended in 1783. The war involved the British and the American colonists. The American War for Independence was…

François-Marie Arouet also known as Voltaire was born in a noble and notary family on November 21st, 1964, in Paris, France, and was educated in Collège Louis-le-Grand by Jesuits. He was a Philosopher, Historian, and a Writer. His style, intelligence, and humour made him one of the greatest French Writer and Philosopher. He produced literary work in almost every genre like poetry, play, essays, novels, scientific and historic works in over 21,000 letters and over thousands of books and pamphlets…