CHAPTER 1
Freedom, Order, or Equality?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students should be able to do the following:
1.
Define the key terms at the end of the chapter
2.
Summarize the argument President Bush used to justify electronic surveillance without warrants,
and why this was controversial
3.
Understand the traditional definition of government and discuss why globalization makes that
definition less compelling than it once was
4.
Identify reasons why the United States opposes an international court
5.
Discuss the three major purposes of government and explain their differences
6.
Discuss the divergent views of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Karl Marx towards the purposes
of government
7.
Identify the three concepts that describe the values pursued by government
8.
Explain the differences between the concepts of majoritarian and pluralist models of democratic
government
9.
Define “social order,” providing examples of its application and indicating why people are
hesitant to accept this definition of order
10. Compare and contrast the terms “freedom of” and “freedom from,” providing an example of each
11. Distinguish between political equality and social equality, explaining the two routes to achieve
social equality
12. Explain the two dilemmas of government
13. Construct a two-dimensional, fourfold classification of American political ideologies, using the
values of freedom, order, and equality
14. Distinguish between liberal and conservative attitudes about the scope and purpose of government
15. Explain a communitarian’s attitudes about the scope and purpose of government
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
The president’s decision to intercept communications in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001,
highlights the growing tension between maintaining American civil liberties and protecting the nation
from global threats. Indeed, globalization (the increasing interdependence of citizens and nations
across the world has had a strong impact on many policies pursued by the U.S. government. Political
decisions involving conflicting values often result in difficult dilemmas. The United States may face
erosion of its national sovereignty as it makes attempts to create an international or supranational force
to oppose terrorism.
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Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
To control means to govern. People want control or order and will surrender their freedom to achieve it,
as some reactions to the events of September 11 demonstrated. Freedom, order, and equality are
pivotal concepts for understanding American politics. All governments strive to maintain order, and
most claim to respect individual freedoms in the process. Some, but not all, governments aspire to
ensuring equality. Government decisions to place strong emphasis on one of the values may result in
shortchanging another. It is, for example, easy to see how stricter law enforcement measures may
impinge on individual freedom.
Governments have to make hard choices to determine an acceptable balance among these oftenconflicting norms. The text employs two models of democratic government, majoritarian democracy
and pluralist democracy, to assess the process by which the United States makes these choices.
Despite the long-standing debate over how limited or pervasive the role of government should be, most
scholars would identify three basic purposes: (1) to maintain order by preserving life and protecting
property; (2) to provide public goods, such as schools, highways, and national parks; and (3) to
promote equality through health and welfare programs and social equality policies. The third purpose
is both the most recent (arising in the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s) and the
most controversial due to the redistribution of income or values.
Different political usage of the words freedom and equality leads to their conveying a variety of
meanings. Freedom can be used both in the sense of “freedom of” (which is equivalent to liberty) and
in the sense of “freedom from” (which suggests equality). Similarly, equality can be used in several
senses: the important distinctions are political equality, social equality, equality of opportunity, and
equality of outcome.
The original dilemma of government arose from the need to maintain order, even at the expense of
yielding individual freedom. The modern dilemma of government in the 1990s arose from the desire
to promote equality—once again at the cost of individual freedom. Evidence of the tradeoffs among
these three values—freedom, order, and equality—recurs throughout the book. The conflicts between
freedom and order are usually obvious, but those between freedom and equality are often more subtle.
Americans tend to want more freedom than equality when compared to people in other countries.
The range of political and ideological beliefs about the scope of government authority or control form a
continuum from totalitarianism, which represents total government control of all aspects of society, to
anarchism, which places the highest value on freedom and is in opposition to any form of government.
Between these extremes lie socialism, capitalism, and libertarianism, political philosophies that
advocate, in decreasing order, the responsibility of government in economic and political matters.
Depending upon the view, communism is socialist because it advocates the progressive disappearance
of the government or it is totalitarian because it controls social and political aspects of life. The United
States, with its emphasis on free enterprise, is clearly a capitalist country. Its two broad ideological
doctrines, liberalism and conservatism, each endorse capitalism, but they differ on the proper extent of
government intervention in the economy.
Similarly, the definition of liberal and conservative varies, depending on their usage. Liberals and
conservatives have traditionally been linked to opposite poles on a single dimension: breadth of
government activity. The familiar distinction holds that liberals favor a larger role for government and
conservatives endorse a smaller role. This distinction, however, fails to take into account conservatives’
greater emphasis on government’s role in maintaining social order. By introducing the purpose of
government action—whether to maintain order or to promote equality—into a two-dimensional
classification of ideological types, we can produce a more satisfactory typology. Liberals favor
government action to promote equality, whereas conservatives favor government action to promote
order. Libertarians favor freedom and oppose government action to promote either equality or order.
They stand in contrast to communitarians, who favor government action for either purpose.
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Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
3
PARALLEL LECTURE 1.1
This lecture is the first in the series of parallel lectures: each closely parallels the text, allowing
instructors to decide which topics in the chapter they wish to reinforce and which topics they wish to
develop further with their own ideas and information. Later in this chapter we offer the options of a
focus lecture and/or an interactive media lecture. The focus lecture either expands on a portion of the
text or introduces new (but related) topics for more detailed treatment. The media lecture connects the
text with how the same topic is treated in the contemporary media.
I.
II.
Modern governments are confronted by fundamental dilemmas—difficult choices between
unsatisfactory alternatives.
A. Is it better to live under a government that fiercely protects individual freedom or one that
infringes on freedom to protect against threats to public security?
B. Is it better to let all citizens keep the same share of their income or to tax wealthier people at
a higher rate to fund programs for poorer people?
C. These alternatives pose dilemmas of choice, because they are tied to opposing philosophies
that place different values on freedom, order, and equality.
1. Politics has been defined as “the authoritative allocation of values for a society”
(Easton).
2. The Challenge of Democracy argues that good government often involves tough
choices, and encourages students to analyze government policies to determine which
values (norms) are harmed and which are helped by the policy choices made by
government.
The globalization of American government
A. Government has traditionally been defined in territorial terms.
1. Government: the legitimate use of force—including firearms, imprisonment, and
execution—within specified geographical boundaries to control human behavior.
2. National sovereignty: a political entity’s externally recognized right to exercise final
authority over its affairs.
a) National sovereignty gives each nation the right to make the choices it wishes to
make without interference from other nations.
b) Even the League of Nations and the United Nations explicitly respect national
sovereignty as the guiding principle of international relations.
c) Concerns about human rights have brought national sovereignty into question.
(1) Kofi Annan: protection of human rights must “take precedence over
concerns of state sovereignty.”
(2) A concern for all nations, not just rogue nations: United States opposes
International Criminal Court, and has been condemned by others for its use
of the death penalty.
B. The globalization of nations
1. Globalization: the increasing interdependence of citizens and nations across the world.
2. Extent of a nation’s globalization can be measured by combining various indicators
a) Economic integration: combined data on trade and foreign direct investment
inflows and outflows.
b) Personal contact: international travel and tourism; international telephone traffic;
cross-border remittances and personal transfers.
c) Technological connectivity: number of Internet users, hosts, and secure servers
through which encrypted transactions are carried out.
d) Political engagement: each country’s memberships in international organizations,
contributions to U.N. peacekeeping missions, ratification of multilateral treaties,
and amounts of governmental transfer payments.
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4
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
The United States is hardly the most “globalized” nation.
a) Singapore is the most globalized; the United States even ranks behind Ireland.
b) America’s large population contributes to its domestic self-sufficiency.
c) Increasing globalization seems inevitable.
III. The purposes of government
A. Government requires citizens to surrender some freedom to obtain benefits.
1. The primary purpose of government is never the maximization of personal freedom,
2. Government exists to control.
B. Primary purposes of government
1. Maintaining order: establishing the rule of law to preserve life and protect private
property.
a) The oldest objective of government
b) Grew from “state of nature” theory
(1) Hobbes’s Leviathan
(a) Life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”
(b) A single ruler government protects the weak and creates security.
(c) Government guards against situations similar to those in Liberia and
the Darfur region of Sudan.
(2) Locke’s Two Treatises on Government
(a) Argued that protection of life, liberty, and property was basic
objective of government
(b) Became linked with the doctrine of liberalism: the belief that states
should leave individuals free to follow their individual pursuits.
c) All systems of government do not hold protection of private property as a valid
objective.
(1) Karl Marx argued for communism: a political system in which, in theory,
ownership of all land and productive facilities is in the hands of the people,
and all goods are equally shared.
(2) Since the fall of communism, there is still ideological debate about the
extent to which government should protect private property.
2. Providing public goods: instituting projects that benefit all individuals but are not
likely to be produced by the voluntary acts of individuals.
a) Includes benefits and services such as parks, sanitation, roads, and water
b) Scope of government functions has expanded over time, and can be controversial
3. Promoting equality: redistributing income to promote economic equality or regulate
behavior to promote social equality.
a) The newest objective of government, coming to prominence in the twentieth
century
(1) Catalyzed by the paradox of “poverty amid plenty”
(2) Sweden, Britain, and other European nations adopted programs to reduce
social inequalities.
b) The most controversial purpose of government
c) Key issue is government’s role in redistributing income (e.g., raising the
minimum wage)
d) Policies that advance equality in other ways can also be controversial (e.g., civil
union laws).
IV. A conceptual framework for analyzing government
A. Citizens differ on how vigorously they want government to maintain order, provide public
goods, and promote equality.
1. Providing public goods is usually least controversial.
C.
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Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
2.
V.
5
The cost of maintaining order and promoting equality is greater than money; it usually
involves value tradeoffs.
B. Five concepts are crucial to understanding what government tries to do and how it decides to
do so.
1. Concept: a generalized idea that groups various events, objects, or qualities under a
common classification or label.
2. Three concepts identify what government tries to do—the values pursued by
government.
a) Order
b) Freedom
c) Equality
3. Two concepts identify how government makes choices about what to do—the models
of democratic government.
a) Majoritarian democracy
b) Pluralist democracy
The concepts of freedom, order, and equality
A. These concepts have many connotations in American politics.
1. Freedom and equality are positive symbols, promoted in different ways.
2. Order has negative connotations, and is openly called for only in times of civil strife.
B. Freedom has been used in two major senses.
1. Freedom of is the absence of constraints on behavior; it is freedom to do something.
a) Synonymous with liberty
b) Example: we speak of freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
2. Freedom from implies immunity from some type of deprivation.
a) Often symbolizes the fight against exploitation and oppression
b) In this sense, freedom comes close to the concept of equality.
c) Example: freedom from want, freedom from fear
C. Order can be viewed in either a narrow or a broad sense
1. Narrowly: the protection of life and property
a) Less controversial meaning
b) Most citizens concede the necessity of maintaining order in this sense.
2. Broadly: encompasses social order
a) Social order: established patterns of authority in society and traditional modes of
behavior
b) Controversy concerns extent to which the government should use its police
power to enforce social order
D. Equality can be used in several senses.
1. Political equality: one person, one vote; equal access to political office
2. Social equality: equality in wealth, education, and status
3. Equality of opportunity: the idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to
succeed in life
4. Equality of outcome: the idea that society must ensure that people are equal, and
governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that economic
and social equality is actually achieved.
a) Has led to certain affirmative action programs and federal equal pay laws
b) Often tied to rights: the benefits of government to which every citizen is entitled.
(1) Equality of outcome is legitimized if every citizen is entitled to certain
government benefits
(2) Requires a much greater degree of government activity
c) Equality of outcome clashes more directly with the idea of freedom than does
equality of opportunity.
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6
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
VI. Two dilemmas of government
A. The controversies in contemporary politics center on two major dilemmas of government:
1. The original dilemma: How much freedom should be sacrificed for order?
2. The modern dilemma: How much freedom should be sacrificed for equality?
B. The original dilemma: freedom versus order
1. This conflict is inherent in the meaning of government.
2. Original purpose of government was to keep citizens safe from violence
a) But 2005 survey showed more than 35 percent of Americans do not believe their
government adequately protects them from crime
b) Order was a much higher value in Communist Eastern Europe.
(1) There was little violent crime.
(2) There was also government surveillance of phone conversations and mail.
3. AIDS adds a new twist.
a) AIDS is generally considered the greatest health threat in U.S. history.
b) Widespread testing for HIV would violate individual freedom.
C. The modern dilemma: freedom versus equality
1. These two values generally clash when governments enact policies to promote social
equality.
a) Equal Pay Act
(1) Men and women must be paid the same rate for equal work.
(2) Some employers are forced to pay women more than they would if they had
free choice.
b) Busing of schoolchildren
(1) Designed to achieve educational equity
(2) Compromised parental freedom of choice about where to send children to
schools
c) Pay equity legislation (in some states): equal pay for comparable work for men
and women
(1) Positions had to be paid equally if skills and responsibilities were the same.
(2) Example: female nurse and male laboratory technician had to have the same
salary.
d) Americans with Disabilities Act
(1) Prohibits discrimination in employment, public services, and public
accommodations
(2) Businesses with more than twenty-five employees cannot pass over an
otherwise qualified disabled person.
(3) Buses and trains must be made disability accessible.
2. Clash between freedom and equality is more subtle than the clash between freedom
and order.
3. Americans are more likely to choose freedom over equality than are people in other
countries.
VII. Ideology and the scope of government
A. People hold different opinions about the merits of government policies.
1. Self-interest guides some opinions.
2. Individual values and beliefs guide others.
B. Sometimes, opinions are organized into a political ideology.
1. Political Ideology: a consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and
scope of government.
2. Political ideologies can be placed along a continuum, from most to least government:
a) Totalitarianism: a political philosophy that advocates unlimited power for the
government to enable it to control all sectors of society.
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Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
b)
7
Socialism: a form of rule in which the central government plays a strong role in
regulating existing private industry and directing the economy, although it does
allow some private ownership of productive capacity.
(1) Some governments practice democratic socialism: a socialist form of
government that guarantees civil liberties such as freedom of speech and
religion; citizens determine the extent of government activity through free
elections and competitive political parties.
(2) Socialism has been practiced in Britain, Sweden, Germany, France, and
other democracies at times since World War II
c) Capitalism: the system of government that favors free enterprise (privately owned
businesses operating without government regulation).
d) Libertarianism: a political ideology that is opposed to all government action
except as necessary to protect life and property.
(1) Libertarians: those who are opposed to using government to promote
either order or equality.
(2) Libertarians tend to support laissez-faire economic policy: an economic
doctrine that opposes any form of government intervention in business.
(3) Libertarians are not liberals: those who are willing to use government to
promote freedom but not order; libertarians treat freedom as a pure goal.
e) Anarchism: a political philosophy that opposes government in any form.
(1) Tends to view government as an unnecessary evil used by the wealthy to
exploit the poor.
(2) Anarchists have been involved in protests against the G8 summit meetings
and the WTO.
3. Liberals and conservatives: the narrow middle
a) Practical politics in the United States avoids the extremes and is generally
confined to two broad positions.
(1) The liberal position generally supports a larger role for government in the
distribution of public goods and the regulation of private enterprise.
(2) The conservative position generally favors either the status quo or a
reduction in the size and role of government.
b) But these ideologies may seem inconsistent.
(1) Liberals generally favor government action, but oppose regulation of
abortion.
(2) Conservatives generally oppose government action, but favor phone
surveillance to fight terrorism.
c) Liberal and conservative positions are best understood with reference to both the
scope and the purpose of government action.
VIII. American political ideologies and the purpose of government
A. Much of American politics revolves around the dilemmas of freedom versus order and
freedom versus equality
B. Liberals versus conservatives: the new differences
1. Difference between liberals and conservatives on spending for public goods is no
longer the critical difference between them.
2. Differences now stem from differing attitudes about the purpose of government.
a) Conservatives support maintaining social order, including traditional patterns of
social relations.
b) Liberals tend to favor government action in service of promoting equality.
C. A two-dimensional classification of ideologies
1. Libertarians, who favor freedom over both order and equality
2. Conservatives, who favor freedom over equality, but order over freedom
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8
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
3.
4.
5.
Liberals, who favor freedom over order, but equality over freedom
Communitarians, who favor both order and equality over freedom
a) The Communitarian Network is a contemporary political movement founded by
Amitai Etzioni.
b) Believes there is a role for government in helping the disadvantaged, but not
dedicated to big government
c) Text uses the term more broadly than just the Communitarian Network
Analysis on two dimensions rather than one explains seeming inconsistencies in
peoples’ approach to politics.
FOCUS LECTURE 1.1
Capitalism and Socialism: From Their Roots to the Global Age
This lecture focuses on the nature of capitalism over time. It draws on the works of several theorists,
including Robert Heilbroner, Robin Hahnel, and Michael Albert. It suggests that today’s global
economy presents both opportunity and risk for humanity and for the planet.
I.
II.
The nature of original (or pure) capitalism
A. According to most interpretations of Adam Smith’s original concepts, capitalism requires
the following:
1. Economic freedom from government interference
2. Legal protection for private property
3. Self-interest as a means for economic progress
4. Production for profit
B. Capitalism changed dramatically during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
1. The independent craftsperson became a factory employee.
2. Some small businesses grew into monopolies.
3. Labor unions developed to protect workers.
C. Capitalism gradually became a corporate system, shaped in part by government action.
1. The U.S. Supreme Court repeatedly ruled in favor of corporate powers, including
United States v. E. C. Knight Company, 156 U.S. 251 (1918).
2. Keynesian economics developed in response to the difficulties encountered during the
Great Depression.
3. To fully emerge from the Depression, the U.S. government “primed” the economy
through massive military spending that has continued into the early twenty-first
century.
a) After World War II, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet
Union kept the United States on a military-based economy.
b) During the Cold War, the United States built the most costly arsenal of weaponry
in world history.
c) The continuous effort to be one step ahead of the Soviets led to massive
government contracts for weapons development.
d) When the Cold War abruptly ended in 1990, United States cutbacks in defense
caused severe economic downturns in parts of the nation where defense spending
had been high (such as California and New England).
e) The events of September 11, 2001, have justified substantial growth in the
defense budget for the purpose of counteracting terrorist forces around the world.
The nature of socialism
A. Karl Marx’s vision involved concepts often diametrically opposed to those of Adam Smith.
1. Society should aim for total equality.
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Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
9
2. Government would “wither away” over time.
3. Property should be communally owned.
4. Production should be based on social needs, not profit motives.
B. Marx’s ideas were badly distorted by his followers
1. Soviet “socialism” created a bureaucratic and nondemocratic political structure.
2. Chinese “socialism” developed a cult of leadership around Chairman Mao Tse Tung.
3. Cuban “socialism” developed into the one-man rule of Fidel Castro.
C. Contemporary theories of socialism include participatory socialism, market socialism, and
democratic socialism.
1. Robin Hahnel and Michael Albert, in Looking Forward: Participatory Economics in
the Twenty-First Century (Boston: South End Press, 1991) suggest that participatory
socialism involves a truly equal, noncompetitive society that is attainable.
2. James Yunker presents a contrasting theory of market socialism which involved use
of some capitalist methods while striving for greater equality of outcome [Socialism
Revised and Modernized: The Case for Pragmatic Market Socialism (New York:
Praeger, 1992)].
3. Most American socialists subscribe to the concept of democratic socialism, which
requires political democracy and public decision making about the economy as well.
III. Capitalism and socialism: freedom and equality
A. Freedom to is the concern of capitalism.
1. Freedom to engage in one’s chosen economic behavior and activity (pursuing profit
and personal gain)
2. Freedom to pursue opportunities
B. Freedom from is the concern of socialism.
1. Freedom from want, exploitation, oppression
2. Freedom from worry (a sense of security)
C. Equality of opportunity is the concern of capitalism.
1. Everyone should have an equal chance.
2. Equality of outcome is believed to be impossible.
D. Equality of outcome is the concern of socialism.
1. People should be as equal as possible in
a) Income
b) Education
c) Occupational status
2. Equality of opportunity is believed to be impossible.
IV. Capitalism and socialism in the global age
A. Capitalism has penetrated nearly every nation
1. The former Soviet term “glasnost” (loosely translated as awakening or opening) may
not apply in China where the communist government continues strict censorship on the
media. However, the former Soviet term “perestroika” (loosely meaning an economic
restructuring) has occurred in China where people are allowed to privately keep profits
once mandated to be turned over to the government. Thus, the people of China may be
frustrated by the inability to share or discuss their newly-found economic freedoms.
2. Multinational corporations are active nearly everywhere.
3. Capital mobility is based on certain assumptions:
a) Production can be moved to the location with the lowest costs.
b) Employees who do not produce at maximum efficiency are expendable.
c) Mobile capital enterprises can ignite external costs, such as pollution.
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10
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
4.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Free-trade agreements expand the power of capital.
a) The North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) allows goods and capital to flow
freely, but may cause jobs to move from the United States into other foreign
countries where lower wages make for increased corporate profits.
b) The General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) lowers labor,
environmental, and health and safety standards to their lowest common
denominator to protect capital mobility.
It is important to note, however, that competition has declined:
1. The concentration of capital is increasing as megamonopolies form in key industries.
2. The Third-Worldization of the United States is a result of the outflow of capital to
places where labor is cheaper.
Modern capitalism is diverse; it takes many forms besides that which is practiced in the
United States.
1. Japanese and German capitalism guarantee much more protection to the individual
employee.
2. In 21st Century Capitalism, Robert Heilbroner explains that American capitalism still
leaves too much to market forces and denies individuals adequate social protections.
3. Some forms of non-American capitalism protect the lower and middle classes by
providing government subsidies for housing, food, transportation, health care, and
education.
Capitalism is still being challenged.
1. The Frente Zapatista of Chiapas, Mexico, organized to protest poverty and to challenge
Mexico’s neocolonial position in relation to the United States.
2. Socialism has emerged as an option in elections in such formerly Communist nations
as Poland, Ukraine, and others.
Future prospects for freedom versus equality: Which scenario seems more likely?
1. Scenario one: global capitalism in charge
a) Increasing inequality
b) Negative impact on the environment
c) Probability of uprisings against inequities
2. Scenario two: global capitalism in charge
a) Increased economic growth
b) Higher standards of living
c) Decline in crime and violence
INTERACTIVE MEDIA LECTURE 1.1
Public Life in Popular Music: Freedom, Order, and Equality
Interactive Media Lectures are designed to help your students connect the information and concepts in
the text with the culture that surrounds them. Though contemporary popular culture is not as political as
it was in the 1960s, contemporary movies, television, and music often reference—either implicitly or
explicitly—various aspects of public life. This particular lecture invites you and your students to
connect the ideas of freedom, order, and equality with the themes in popular music. The ideas presented
here should be just a starting point—it is in your best interest to draw from your own cultural
experiences to demonstrate to students how they can make connections for themselves.
NOTE: The music referenced in this and other lectures is available legally and inexpensively on the
internet through sources like emusic.com and itunes.com. Some songs come in alternative versions: a
“clean” or radio version, and an “explicit” or album version. If you are concerned about the presence of
controversial language in your classroom, be sure to look for “clean” versions of any song you might
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Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
11
choose to play in full. Try using a search engine like <www.google.com> or <www.yahoo.com> to find
lyrics to the songs mentioned below.
I.
II.
Basic values, basic conflicts: freedom, order, and equality
A. The concepts of freedom, order, and equality
1. Freedom has been used in two major senses:
a) Freedom of is the absence of constraints on behavior; it is freedom to do
something.
b) Freedom from implies immunity from some type of deprivation.
2. Order can be viewed in either a narrow or a broad sense.
a) Narrowly: the protection of life and property
b) Broadly: encompasses social order: the established patterns of authority in
society and traditional modes of behavior
3. Equality can be used in several senses.
a) Political equality: one person, one vote; equal access to political office
b) Social equality: equality in wealth, education, and status
c) Equality of opportunity: the idea that each person is guaranteed the same
chance to succeed in life.
d) Equality of outcome: the idea that society must ensure that people are equal, and
governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that
economic and social equality is actually achieved.
B. Two dilemmas of government
1. The original dilemma: freedom versus order
a) This conflict is inherent in the meaning of government.
b) Original purpose of government was to keep citizens safe from violence
2. The modern dilemma: freedom versus equality
a) These two values generally clash when governments enact policies to promote
social equality.
b) Examples: Equal Pay Act, busing of schoolchildren, pay equity (comparable
worth) legislation, Americans with Disabilities Act
3. The clash between freedom and equality is more subtle than the clash between freedom
and order.
Freedom, order, and equality in popular culture
A. The ideas of freedom, order, and equality are often found in contemporary popular culture,
even though we may not hear those words
1. Freedom
a) Sometimes referred to as the ability to make a choice in any situation
b) Often referred to in the negative—as the lack of some kind of freedom
c) Occasionally referred to in terms of pursuing one’s civil rights or civil liberties
2. Order
a) Often referred to in terms of police presence, crimes, jail, and war
b) Also referred to in terms of rebellion against social norms
3. Equality
a) Generally referenced in regard to what other people have, to difficulties in
earning a living or getting a job
b) Also used to acknowledge differences between the sexes and between various
races
B. How else have you heard these ideas expressed in popular music? In other media? (List
student responses.)
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12
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
C.
Examples of the issue of freedom in popular music
1. Freedom has been celebrated in a general sense—example: Devo, “Freedom of
Choice.”
2. Other songs have suggested that freedom goes beyond simple physical choices—
example: U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love).”
3. What kinds of freedom do these lyrics refer to? What do they tell us about freedom in
contemporary America?
4. What other lyrics can you think of that explore some aspect of freedom in the United
States?
D. Examples of the issue of order in popular culture
1. The issue of order in society—and who pays the price for maintaining that order—is a
central issue in most gangsta rap. A famous lyric in this genre is Coolio’s “Gangsta’s
Paradise.”
2. Some songs also reference the role of the established social order in society—
example: Deborah Cox’s “Absolutely Not.”
3. How do these lyrics discuss the issue of order? What do they tell us about order in
contemporary America?
4. What other lyrics can you think of that explore some aspect of order in the United
States?
E. Examples of the issue of equality in popular culture
1. The question of political equality was particularly relevant in much of the folk music
of the 1960s, but still is an important theme today—example: Rage Against the
Machine “Voice of the Voiceless.”
2. Music has also dealt with the issue of gender equality. One of the first songs dealing
with this theme was Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman.”
3. How do these lyrics discuss the issue of order? What do they tell us about order in
contemporary America?
4. What other lyrics can you think of that explore some aspect of order in the United
States?
III. The dilemmas: music and the conflicts between freedom, order, and equality
A. It is a cliché that music is “the universal language,” and that music can heal the differences
between people.
B. Can music help us to understand the differences between different peoples’ perspectives on
public life?
C. Can music help to bridge the tension between freedom and order, and freedom and equality?
PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND SMALL-GROUP ACTIVITIES
1.
Help your students to begin regular newspaper reading and to appreciate the need for an accurate
shared set of terms. Ask them to read a newspaper (there are many papers that have student
subscription rates; alternatively, most newspapers also have no-cost Internet editions). While
reading, they should clip articles that incorporate two or more of five key concepts: liberalism,
conservativism, freedom, order, and equality. In class, discuss which definition of the concept is
used in the article. Use the opportunity to point out similarities and differences in these terms’
usage, to comment on their complexity, and to mention the debates political scientists have about
them. Be sure to require one newspaper selection from an English-speaking country outside the
United States or an English edition of a newspaper from a country whose primary language is not
English.
2.
Encourage students to attempt to apply the two dilemmas of government to current issues not
mentioned in the chapter (such as educational benefits for children of illegal immigrants, welfare
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
13
benefits for legal aliens, or public corruption). Are these dilemmas of freedom versus order or of
freedom versus equality? Are there any issues that do not “fit” these classifications? Why or why
not?
INTERNET RESOURCES
The Communitarian Network www.gwu.edu/~ccps
Learn more about how this nonpartisan association is working to strengthen the moral and
political environment in the United States.
Ideological Debates www.politics1.com/
Politics1 compares and contrasts ideologies from every part of the continuum with links to news
and opinion on election issues.
Balanced Politics www.balancedpolitics.org/ideology.htm
Definitions of political ideologies
Political Compass www.politicalcompass.org/
An ideology questionnaire that is a good source for determining your ideology
World’s Smallest Political Quiz www.self-gov.org/quiz.html
An online quiz that may assist you in determining your ideology
Select Smart www.selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=athena
An online quiz that may assist you in determining your ideology
The National Political Index www.politicalindex.com
A one-stop shop for substantive political information and debate
The Global Policy Forum www.globalpolicy.org
A non-profit organization dedicated to monitoring United Nations policy and promoting
accountability for global decisions
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.