Chapter 3 – Liberalism Part I
Classical Liberalism
Places the “highest value on individual freedom” and posits
that “the role of government should be limited”
Stresses limited government & “laissez-faire” economy
Equality before the law, but no attempt to create actual
equality of condition (this would come later)
John Locke was the first classical liberal
Extended Hobbes’s theory of the social contract
Locke argues that the King, who previously ruled by the
divine right theory of monarchy, had no legitimacy to rule
without the social contract
By today’s standards, Locke was a classical liberal and
represents a more traditional approach
Radical at the time
The Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther (1483-1546) initiates the Protestant
reformation against the Roman Catholic Church by
tacking his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Church in
1517
Protested the sale of indulgences for the benefit of
the Catholic Church
Protested general corruption in the Church and
called for Reform, not Tolerance
Called on a certain degree of individual
conscience and thought
Never intended to recommend freedom of religion
Protestant Reformation (con’t)
Jean Calvin (1509-1564) developed a
theocratic government in Geneva based on
the Reformed Church.
Also did not intend to promote freedom of
religious practice
Did encourage that one consult one’s
individual conscience – in an effort to
understand and practice scripture according
to Reform Protestantism
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) (A proto- liberal)
Before government, people lived in a “state of nature”
Although people are generally rational, they are also selfish, in
Hobbes’s view
Conflicts are inevitable
For Hobbes, the state of nature is “solitary, poor, brutish,
nasty, and short”
Social Contract Theory: To exit the State of Nature, people
agree to a social contract with the sovereign
People give up some freedoms and allow the sovereign to
have power over them in return for protection from the “war
of all against all” in the state of nature
People invest authority in the sovereign to rule in order to
prevent chaos, war, and divisiveness.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) (A proto- liberal)
Although the purpose of Leviathan was to derive a
new method of giving legitimacy to the Monarch, his
premises were proto-liberal:
The monarch’s legitimacy comes from the people,
not from the power of divine right
He used a state of nature argument to set up a new
contract theory
King is justified only by the consent of the people
But the King is given absolute sovereignty
Limited government would have to await Locke’s
2nd Treatise
John Locke (1632 – 1704)
People are rational with inherent natural right to life
liberty and property (John Locke, The Second
Treatise of Government)
Also emphasized a right to revolution: the ruled may
resist a monarch that deprives them of the rights to
life, liberty, and property
One of the most important foundational thinkers for
the U.S.
• Strongly influenced Tom Paine and others who justified the
American Revolution on distinctly Lockeian grounds
• Declaration of Independence is a Lockeian document (articulates
the right to “life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
First promoted the idea of the “noble savage”
Was a Social Contract Theorist, along with Hobbes and Locke
Polar opposite of Hobbes on Human Nature:
People are inherently cooperative and peaceable
Believed that humans would be happier in a state of nature,
but that it is unrealistic
Social life and institutions “corrupt” people – cause them to
be vain, acquisitive, and overly competitive
The environment overcomes our inherently cooperative and
peaceful human nature
Tried to design a social contract that would bring out our
naturally good nature
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (published 1651)
In the 8th ed, Hobbes is Reading 3.10 – please read pages 57-59 only
In the 9th ed, Hobbes is Reading 3.11 – please read pages 60-62 only
When can man have productivity rather than strife?
When there is “a power able to over-awe then all” (p. 57 right
column in 8th ed./p. 60 right column in 9th ed.)
What does he think are the 3 main causes of conflict?
Competition, Diffidence, Glory (p. 57 bottom rt & p. 58 top left in 8th ed.)
(p. 61 top left in 9th ed.)
How does Hobbes describe life in State of Nature?
“There is no place for industry… no arts, no letters, no society… & the
life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish & short (p. 58 left bottom in 8th
ed./p. 61 left bottom in 9th ed.)
Note the requirement of a “common strong power” (Leviathan
ruler) for Hobbes’s political philosophy (p. 59 left in 8th edition/p.
62 left in 9th edition)
Reading 3.11/Reading 3.12: John Locke’s 2nd Treatise of
Gov’t (1690) (8th ed: pp. 68-77 only/9th ed: pp. 71-79 only)
How does Locke characterize the state of nature: as a
place of liberty or constraint?
Is Locke an atheist or agnostic?
Is there a Law of nature?
What are the limitations of the state of nature?
Did the state of nature exist, in Locke’s view? If so,
how and where?
Topics on this slide are addressed in the section “Of the State
of Nature” (pp. 68-71 in the 8th/pp. 71-74 in the 9th)
Locke’s 2ndTreatise of Government (con’t)
Why is property so crucial for Locke’s
political theory? (pp. 71-72/74-75)
What confers ownership on a person, for
Locke (p. 72/74)
Is there a limit to how much property one
may “engross,” or can one acquire as
much as one wishes? (p. 72 bot rt/76 top
lft)
Locke’s 2nd Treatise of Government (con’t)
What are the 3 essential natural rights of
people? (p. 76 bot left/pp. 79 bot right)
What is the 4th natural right (76 mid lft/79
bottom right onto p. 80)
What justifies revolution in Locke’s view?
Policy slip ups, mismanagement, high crimes
& misdemeanors, or something more? (p. 77
rt/p. 80 rt)