Liberty Bell

the sole source of knowledge. Fundamental principles of liberalism include the right to liberty and property, as well as other civil rights; equality before the law; government's responsibility and transparency of government. While liberals typically believe that government is necessary to protect individuals from being harmed by others; they also recognize that government itself can pose a threat to liberty. The function of the government is reduced to ensure these protections.…

The foundation of a free society, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, is the understanding that all humans are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” This idea is the only true motivation for a society in which the government operates for the protection of its citizens’ freedoms; by protecting and valuing freedom, one admits that man has innate rights and freedoms to protect. This understanding also admits to the existence of a system of justice outside human law,…

Liberalism". In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. Locke argued that people have rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, which have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular society. However, if a philosopher such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and a revolutionary leader such as Napoleon Bonaparte, would have examined Locke’s…

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Men have looked at themselves and at things so long that they come to esteem the religious, learned and civil institution as guards of property, and they deprecate assaults on these, because they feel them to be assaults on property.” The concept of people judging their own esteem over ownership of property and possessions is very true, and only leads to greed, self-judgment, and the unhappiness of the owner. The main problem that ownership leads to the want for more…

supported are those that benefit the people, i.e. equality, security, etc. Liberals strongly assert the concept of equality, individuality, liberty, and rationality. These four concepts further contributed to liberalism, with the idea that individuals would have the ability to pursue their own conception of the good. (It’s evident that liberalism advocate for liberty and equal rights) The purpose of this paper is to explore Schmitt critique of liberalism, and what makes…

The principles of classical liberalism are the rule of law, individual rights and freedoms, private property, economic freedom, self-interest and competition. The source did not directly indicate which principles it supports or rejects. However, it displays certain main ideas that refute and supports the principles of classical liberalism. In the source, the wealthy was portrayed to be selfish and is exploiting the lower class when the top man with most money tells everyone to step down one rung…

In his seminal work, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke visits the ideas of power and freedom amongst other fundamental philosophical debates. The primary description of Locke’s views regarding the aforementioned topics is found in Chapter XXI entitled “Of Power”. Locke's language may be difficult to decipher in regards to his criteria for freedom, and the differentiation between freedom and voluntary. In his writing Locke explains what freedom is to him by foremost explaining…

Liberty can be defined as an individual’s power or right to act, think, or speak. We are lucky to grow up in a world where we have just that. We have so many liberties and freedoms where we can express ourselves and ultimately be who we want to be without government interference. Well, not everyone has always been this lucky. When it came to the colonial and new nation time period not every person, of every race, or gender, or religious belief were granted and allowed to experience the same…

William Whaley 14 October 2015 Political Theory On, Experiments of Living One of John Stuart Mill’s biggest contribution through his writings was his idea of the “experiments of living”. Mill made this contribution in his classic 1859 book, On Liberty. By “experiments of living” I believe Mill is saying to live life like a test tube; in Mill’s exact words, “different modes of life should be proved practically”. In other words, the ability to be able to do whatever you want, until it causes…

It’s Our Right, Not Yours The government controls what is supposed to be individual rights without American citizens being fully aware. As a liberalist, Balko strongly believes individual freedoms should be the center focus of the government. He disagrees that the government is doing a good job of sustaining and encouraging a healthier America. His concerns about these issues point toward the idea of fairness because little things like what we eat affect us all. Balko’s argument is that the…