Political Science 1020E Chapter Notes - Chapter 1-4, 7-11: Traditionalist Conservatism, Libertarian Conservatism, Liberal Democracy
4 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Political ideology with the central theme of commitment to the individual and to the construction of the society in which individuals can satisfy their interest or achieve fulfillment. The liberal belief that human beings are individuals, endowed with reason, implies that each individual should enjoy the maximum possible freedom consistent with a like freedom for all. A liberal society is characterized by diversity and pluralism and is organized politically around the twin values of consent and constitutionalism, combined to form the structures of liberal democracy. Significant differences nevertheless exist between classical and modern liberalism. Classi(cid:272)al li(cid:271)eralis(cid:373) is disti(cid:374)guished (cid:271)(cid:455) a (cid:271)elief i(cid:374) a (cid:862)(cid:373)i(cid:374)i(cid:373)al(cid:863) state: functions are limited to the maintenance of domestic order and personal security, classical liberals emphasize that human beings are essentially self-interested and largely self-sufficient. People should be responsible for their own lives and circumstances: praises the merits of a self-regulating market in which government intervention is seen as both unnecessary and damaging.
