On Liberty

It is hard to define what liberalism truly meant. On the surface, to be liberal was to be progressive, forward thinking, actively championing for civil liberties as well as the freedom of the individual. Dewey himself is of the opinion that the idea of liberalism has been distorted; it has become far too individualistic and lost its meaning. Dewey is against the ‘individualism’ espoused by liberalists’ theories. Choosing instead to subscribe to organic philosophy where the intrinsic…

Mill focuses on the concept of a clear distinction between when the authority of society can limit individuality and when there can be “sovereignty of the individual over himself”; however, he also argues the point that control should be given whenever society and the individual have an interest in a particular part of human life (82). Mill rejects the notion of a social contract, which Locke argues for, but due to the protections provided by society, the citizens owe a return for these benefits…

He believes that a commonwealth should protect our natural rights such as life and liberty. Therefore, a common misconception could be that because the liberty of thought and expression is a liberty Locke would support protecting free speech, or opinion. However, once you begin to look deeper into Locke’s political philosophy you can see that he would not be as supportive as Mill on the…

whole and due to the fact that society has permitted smoking it would be hypocritical to deny people of it. Furthermore, denying someone of personal sovereignty will ultimately break the social contract because it is supposed to protect the life, liberty, and property of citizens. Another reason why Locke would not support a ban on smoking during pregnancy is because it does not affect the public good. Not every woman smokes and therefore there will always is some healthy children. However, if…

In the age of the Internet personal liberty in speech and thought needs to be left with as little amount of censoring as possible. We see this increased call for censorship because as a society, you see a greater intolerance for truths that go against other people’s beliefs. Like John Stuart Mill, I believe that by maximizing personal liberty of speech we will create a greater society because we will all be free to discuss our views and hear the ones against us to further develop ideas and…

Radical Revolution Vs. Gradual Change When we hear the terms “liberal” and “conservative” in the media today, we often associate “liberals” skewed to the left on the political spectrum, and “conservatives” skewed right. For the longest time, the term “liberal” outlines a society that is free with a democratic extent. Classical liberalism is based upon Locke’s philosophy of individual rights. Locke’s philosophy entails that a government exists to protect the natural and unalienable…

According to Theodore Simonton, an expert of the New York Bar liberty is defined as a generous measure of individual freedom under the joint and well-balanced rule of law and mores. The actions of an individual as an accepted member of society are governed by three principles such as the positive laws of the society, the mores of the society and most importantly his own free choice. In the Second Treatise of Government Locke envisions a less chaotic form of the natural state and where people…

I believe freedom to be an absolutely relative condition, and an artistic notion. The artistic or philosophical nature of the idea makes it very difficult to grasp, and very difficult to create. It is more difficult still to structure a society around the concept of freedom. There are many different views of the concept of freedom. I believe this to be a virtue of the idea. Freedom is an individual notion, so to an extent we create our own freedom. However, since it is so independent, it can…

p.37) This simply means that an American who respects the value of individualism, federal government spending on the penurious and less fortunate (Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), etc.), personal liberties, and economic liberties will closely relate with the ideology of liberalism.…

proletariat to form “the rights of man,” which preserve the rights to life, liberty, and security with the limitation that one man’s rights should not undermine the rights of another. In his effort to outline the implications of “the rights of man,” Karl Marx presents a clear argument that the rights to life, liberty, and security ultimately preserve self-interest and detach man from civil society. Initially, Marx defines liberty and challenges the ideology behind the term by underscoring the…