Liberalism – review
 Considers individual liberty and equality of opportunity to be important
 Economically – liberalists argue that a free market is the best system – more efficient and generates more prosperity
A. Individualism
 Core belief in classic liberalism (rooted in history) and capitalism (economics)
 Importance of the individual within society
 Democracies/western democracies: usually have a foundation of individualism (but can contain collectivism as well, especially
economically)
o The One instead of the many
 Political freedom to inalienable human rights – fundamentally important
 Right winged – neo conservative thinking (political spectrum)
 John Locke, Adam Smith
 Personal autonomy: individual freedom from outside authority
 Self reliance: responsibility for yourself
Individualism: A value held by supporters of a political or economic system that allows the individual goals to be emphasized over the needs
of a society. Capitalists and those who believe in democracy would support this value. Adam Smith’s economic ideas justify this value because
they emphasize the idea that when people pursue their own goals it will benefit all of society because they work to provide the best products
and services in order to make a profit. Democratic political systems are aligned with this value because people have the freedom to choose
the representatives they like best
A.
Principles of Individualism:
i.




Rule of Law
Equal under the law
No one is above the law
Every individual is equal before the law
Everyone is subject to the laws, no arbitrary power of the individual
ii.




Individual Rights and Freedoms
Important feature of liberal democracies
Freedom fo religion, association etc.
Right to life, liberty and security of persons
Ex. Right to Vote:
o Changed in history of liberal democracies as to who has this right
o Age, gender, property ownership have all been factors of the right to vote in history
o Canada - women didn’t receive the right to vote until the 20th Century
o Race restrictions: Apartheid in South Africa -1996 this ended and the black population received the right to vote
Establish laws to control any negative consequences (security of person) of individual rights such as racism and
discrimination

iii. Private Property
 Contains 3 distinct aspects:
o Real estate – land that is owned and who owns it
 Debated in Canada as far as the right to own and control the land vs. The resources on it and their use
 Aboriginal Land claim issues – p. 75
o Other physical possessions
o Intellectual property (artists, musicians, inventions etc.)
 New technologies can have negative effects as people can take advantage
 Accessibility to intellectual property, especially online, has been highly monitored – both negative and positive
 ie. Downloading music
iv. Economic Freedom
 Freedom to buy and sell (items and labor) to whomever, whenever, for whatever price
 In theory: no trade barriers, customers would not have to pay taxes on products
 Economic Freedom Index – rates the extent to which a country is truly a ‘free market’ (10 factors page 78)
o Canada – 10th
o Canadian government intervenes in the market – uses government regulations to promote or protect the market – especially in a recession
o Welfare State (created Great Depression – still exists today)
 Economy is capitalist (individualist)
 Government policies will modify the market to ensure economic stability and basic standard of living
 EI (Unemployment Insurance Act 1940), Health Care, welfare payments etc.
o Government also imposes trade laws/restrictions and taxes
v. Self Interest and Competition
 Supporters of individualism: benefit economy for the greater number of people
o Adam Smith – Invisible Hand – individual self interest will guide individuals for common good (not government)
o Supply and Demand will control the market place
 Ensures supply
 Buyers demand the best product for the cheapest price possible – forces sellers to compete for the buyers
money
 Labor – employers will compete to hire the best people, workers compete to fill (and keep) good jobs
Opposition to Individualism – rich get richer, poor get poorer
• John Gailbraith (late 1950s): wealth is increases to the highest paid while the lower incomes earners are not
increasing at the same rate
• “War on Poverty” (US government initiative – several times) – fund education to help with poverty
• Belief that few industrialists/capitalists abide by the true nature of competition
 Ie. Name brands – do you get the best quality for the lowest price possible or do you pay more for the
name???
 Britain 2007 – largest gap between rich and poor in more than 40 years
Collectivism: A value held by supporters of political or economic system in which the interests of the group or the state
outweigh those of the individual. There is an emphasis on equality and the welfare of all people. Communists and socialists
hold this value, however democratic socialists would not be as insistent as communists are about it. Socialists support it
economically because they believe in government involvement and economic intervention. Communists support it politically
because they believe the communist party is the only party that would rule in the best interests of all the people.









Identity is based on group membership
Needs of the group (many) are more important than the individual
Aboriginal groups – emphasize thinking and acting collectively to achieve goals
Hutterites
Left wing on the spectrum
Ex. Communism, socialism, democratic socialism – not synonymous with a dictorship (politically) but can be included in
that
Classical liberalism would be opposed as it takes away from the individual
Modern Liberalist thought (western democracies) may contain elements of collectivism
o Canada: liberal party, NDP; USA – Democrats
o Have evolved to be more left wing in their ideologies (economically) and would embrace some principles of
collectivism in order to ‘cure the ills of society’
Normally involves (reality) large amounts of government intervention
A. Principles of Collectivism
i.






Economic Equality
Can also mean ‘more economic equality’
Various meanings depending on the system
o Equal pay for equal work
o Taxation according to income levels
o Share of the wealth of the society (redistribution of the wealth)
o People own means of production
o Everything is free
o No private property
Theory of complete equality of income is not possible due to the
various definitions and the sheer practicality of it
Ex. Canada – progressive taxation - more you make the more
taxes you pay to try to redistribute wealth and create a more
‘equitable’ society
Gandhi – everyone should have enough to meet his/her needs
Marx – from each according to his ability to each according to his
need...
ii. Cooperation
 Based on the voluntary open membership, democratic controls by the members, and economic participation of members
 Act for the collective/common good/goals of the group
iii.




Public Property
Owned by the state/government or the community and managed according to the best interest of the group
Communism – owned by the government for the common good
Marx – Communist Manifesto (1848)
o Abolition of private property
o Only workers should profit - not employers
o Fairer for workers – more incentive as everyone has a vested interest in the success of the industry and benefits
equally (all succeed or all fail)
Canada
o Crown Land – parks, schools, roads
o Crown Corporations – CBC, Via Rail
o Managed in the best interest of society
o Usually essential services/industries but not always profitable so private entrepreneurs won’t take the risk to own
them
iv. Collective Interest
 Although individually we have goals/interests, collectivists believe that they are best met through addressing them as a
group
 Social movements and lobby groups – come together to press for change and reform
v. Collective Responsibility
 Holding the entire group responsible for the actions of the individual (or individual group) – interests of the group
supersede individual
 All are held accountable
 Can be positive (moral responsibility)
o Care for the sick, ailing, less fortunate etc.
o Address social problems as a group – drinking and driving, drugs
 Negative consequences
o Totalitarian state/dictatorships
o Punish those who go against the ‘group’/government/society
vi. Adherence to Collective Norms

The standards or ‘rules’ that the society or group deems to be
acceptable

Formal or informal

Usually govern: conduct, values, or appearance

Voluntary but members see them as ‘binding’ – necessary for
the best interest of the group

Ex. Teachers – code of Professional Conduct; dress code policy

Ex. Censorship –
o formal – government imposed to only allow certain
information to the people that they deem to be in the
collective interest of the society
o informal – media ‘chooses’ what information to present to
people
o
can be very strict and punitive in dictatorial governments