Lectures on Liberalism for PS 240, Intro to Political Theory, Fall 2014, University of Kentucky

1. Liberalism
Dr. Christopher S. Rice

2. The American Political
Spectrum is small…

4. 4
The Western
Transformation
1500-1700
(cc) 2005 Flickr user jurvetson

5. (cc) 2008 Flickr user Peter from Wellington
5 Organic vs. Mechanistic

6. (cc) 2008 Flickr user h.koppdelaney
Organic Worldview 6

7. 7
First Nature
(cc) 2006 Flickr user Bruno Monginoux

8. (cc) 2007 Flickr user autan
Second Nature 8

9. The world is a living
world…

10. Ruach

12. Gaia

13. (cc) 2006 Flickr user Euthman
Unrestrained growth is
an aberration, undesired
13

14. 14
Mechanistic
Worldview
(cc) 2008 Flickr user Ralph Bijker

15. The world is a
“dead” world…
15
(cc) 2006 Flickr user Caro Wallis

16. (cc) 2006 Flickr user Wolfgang Kopp
Lack of continuous
16
growth = death

17. (cc) 2005 Flickr user Tracy O
17

18. (cc) 2007 Flickr user Diodoro
The rise of capitalism

19. Logical Positivism
Leads to the
Mechanistic Worldview

23. Cogito Ergo Sum

25. Mechanistic
Philosophy

27. Logical Positivism

28. Is science objective?
Economics?

30. The Liberal concept of agency is
based on the theory of
possessive individualism

31. Liberal Philosophy

33. Four Elements of Liberal Philosophy
Equality Liberty
Individuality Rationality

34. Four Elements of Liberal Philosophy
Equality Liberty
Individuality Rationality

35. Equality of Opportunity
vs.
Equality of Outcome

36. Four Elements of Liberal Philosophy
Equality Liberty
Individuality Rationality

37. Four Elements of Liberal Philosophy
Equality Liberty
Individuality Rationality

38. Four Elements of Liberal Philosophy
Equality Liberty
Individuality Rationality

39. Four Elements of Liberal Philosophy
Equality Liberty
Individuality Rationality

40. Liberal Society

41. Feudalism Capitalism

42. Why a free-market
economy is important…

43. The Pursuit of The Good

44. Liberal Politics

45. strict distinction between the
state and civil society

46. ambivalence about the
benefits of democracy

47. Government is GREAT!
Government is BAD!

48. Utilitarianism

49. Jeremy Bentham

50. The Principle of
Utility Maximization

51. 51
Government should
ameliorate the effects
of utility maximization
(cc) 2008 Flickr user gruntzooki

52. general conclusions
about government

53. 53
Government should
leave people
alone.
(cc) 2007 Flickr user afroboof

54. 54
Increase democratic
participation
(cc) 2008 Flickr user Edward DC

55. John Stuart Mill

56. Defend and Extend
individual liberty

57. 57
(cc) 2008 Flickr user jukebox 909

58. Harm Principle
Every sane adult should be
free to do whatever he or she
wants as long as his or her
actions do not harm, or
threaten to harm, others.

60. Natural Rights

61. Utility
Society, as a whole, will
benefit if people are
allowed to think and act
freely.

62. Representative democracy
only for the educated,
wealthy?

63. Neoclassical liberalism
VS.
Welfare Liberalism

64. Negative VS. Positive
Freedom

65. Neoclassical liberalism

66. Social Darwinism

70. Welfare Liberalism

71. Government as a
POSITIVE
force

73. Socialism
VS.
Welfare Liberalism

76. 76
The Veil of
Ignorance
(cc) 2008 Flickr user left-hand

77. (cc) 2008 Flickr user Tostie14
The Original Position
77

78. The Original Position
Non-presocial liberal ideas that, if
consensually held, would lead
everyone to accept the equal
liberty and difference principles as
the basis for mutually beneficial
social cooperation.

79. 4 Ideas of
The Original Position

80. Equal Respect
Non-Risky
Rationality
Mutual
Disinterested-ness
The Veil of
Ignorance
80

81. Equal Respect
Non-Risky
Rationality
Mutual
Disinterested-ness
The Veil of
Ignorance
81

82. Equal Respect
Non-Risky
Rationality
Mutual
Disinterested-ness
The Veil of
Ignorance
82

83. Equal Respect
Non-Risky
Rationality
Mutual
Disinterested-ness
The Veil of
Ignorance
83

84. Equal Respect
Non-Risky
Rationality
Mutual
Disinterested-ness
The Veil of
Ignorance
84

85. Equal Respect
Non-Risky
Rationality
Mutual
Disinterested-ness
The Veil of
Ignorance
85

86. Principles of Justice

87. Equal Liberty Principle
The state must provide the most
extensive system of equal
liberties that is feasible and
desirable. All individuals must
enjoy the greatest degree of
liberty consistent with the
enjoyment of like liberty by
everyone else.

88. Difference Principle
Primary social goods are to be
distributed equally unless an
unequal distribution would
improve the welfare of the least
well-off in society.

89. PROBLEMS

90. History

91. 91
Human Condition
Time

92. Human Nature

93. 93

94. The Social Contract

95. 95 Thomas Hobbes

96. 96 John Locke

97. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

98. Liberal Economics

99. Laissez-faire Capitalism
and Freedom

100. Adam Smith

101. David Ricardo

102. Milton Friedman

103. The problem of
market failures and
inefficiencies

104. John Maynard Keynes

105. The many benefits of capitalism
are offset by certain problems:
• Complete market freedom results in
various types of market failures.
• Monopolies which undermine
competition & lead to concentrated
power.
• Business cycles which create
economic inefficiency and insecurity.

106. The many benefits of capitalism
are offset by certain problems:
• Capitalism creates externalities
which harm the broader public.
• Pure Market Systems unable to
provide many public goods.
• Wealth isn’t distributed to everyone.