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This lesson examines the key thinkers of liberalism as specified by the Edexcel A-Level Politics syllabus: Locke, Mill, Rawls, Wollstonecraft, and Friedan.
Natural Rights: Individuals possess inherent rights to life, liberty, and property that exist independently of government.
Locke: "The great and chief end of men uniting into commonwealths and putting themselves under government is the preservation of their property."
Social Contract: In the state of nature, rights are insecure. Individuals voluntarily create government through a social contract to protect their rights. If government fails, the people may revolt.
Limited Government: The state's power is restricted to protecting natural rights.
Toleration: In A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), Locke argued for religious toleration and the separation of church and state, though he excluded Catholics and atheists.
Locke's ideas influenced the American Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and liberal democracy worldwide. He is the foundational classical liberal thinker.
Reason and Education for Women: Women are rational beings equal to men. If women appear less rational, it is because they are denied education — not because of natural inferiority.
Wollstonecraft: "I do not wish them [women] to have power over men, but over themselves."
Equal Rights: Applied Locke's natural rights to women. If rights are universal, they must apply equally to women and men.
Critique of Female "Accomplishments": In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), she criticised education that taught women to be decorative and submissive rather than rational and independent.
Independence: Women should be economically and intellectually independent, not dependent on men.
Extended liberal principles to gender equality, laying groundwork for the suffragette movement and liberal feminism.
The Harm Principle: In On Liberty (1859): the state may only restrict individual freedom to prevent harm to others.
Mill: "Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign."
Freedom of Expression: Even false opinions should be heard. The free exchange of ideas leads to truth and progress (the "marketplace of ideas").
Tyranny of the Majority: Democratic majorities might suppress minority opinions. Individual liberty must be protected against majority pressure as well as government.
Developmental Individualism: Freedom is valuable as a means of personal development — allowing individuals to cultivate unique talents. This makes Mill a transitional figure between classical and modern liberalism.
Women's Equality: In The Subjection of Women (1869), Mill advocated women's suffrage and equal legal rights.
Mill's harm principle remains the most influential liberal statement on the limits of state power. He bridges classical and modern liberalism.
The Original Position and Veil of Ignorance: Imagine designing society without knowing your position in it. Rawls argued rational people would choose two principles:
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