Ideologies Essay plans

To what extent do liberals agree over the role of the state - Whilst all liberals subscribe to a mechanistic theory of the state and believe it to be a necessary force for social stability and to protect individual freedom, they disagree over the extent to which the state should intervene in the lives of individuals. - Individualism ( egotistical v developmental, rationalism, harm principle) - Liberal democracy and state consent (social contract - Locke + Rawls, plural voting - Mill v modern libs, limited government) - Need for the state to protect liberty (negative v positive freedom, enabling state, Wollstonecraft or Friedan) To what extent do liberals agree on human nature? - Whilst all liberals agree fundamentally that humans are naturally individual and rational beings deserving of equality/social justice they differ to a certain extent over how the state and society should respond to these human qualities. - Individualism and freedom (egotistical v developmental, social darwinism, harm principle) - Rationalism (JSM, enlightenment, Wollstonecraft) - Equality/Social justice (foundational, meritocracy, Rawls and veil of ignorance, Tolerance) To what extent do liberals agree on the economy? - Although both agree fundamentally in capitalism and limited state intervention, greatly differ in the ways they believe the economy should be ran. - Individualism (egotistical v developmental, social darwinism, rawls 'property owning democracy') - The state (limited intervention v enabling state, JSM bridge, Adam Smith, Asquith, Rawls) - Freedom (Social contract - Locke, neo-liberals, modern = negative freedom can equal to little more than 'freedom to starve') To what extent do liberals agree on society? - All largely agree society should be just and beneficial to the individual but differ in their belief in how to create such a society. - Individualism (egotistical v developmental, harm principle, social darwinism) - freedom/equality (Foundational v formal, Wollstonecraft and Friedan, JSM) - Justice and tolerance (Locke, social inequality v meritocracy, Rawls veil of ignorance)