Liberalism and its critics- socialism and conservatism 5 PDF

Title Liberalism and its critics- socialism and conservatism 5
Course Politics Within Borders
Institution Wilfrid Laurier University
Pages 7
File Size 313.2 KB
File Type PDF
Total Downloads 4
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Summary

notes recorded during in person lecture...


Description

Can democracy exists without trust? What went right? Wrong? (Ted Talk) 1. New social movement 2. Economic changes 3. The end of the cold war 4. Internet revolution 5. Brain sciences What is an Ideology? A set of ideas designed to… 1. Describe the existing political order 2. Present an ideal vision of what the political order should look like 3. Prescribe a means to transform the existing into the ideal Seeks to promote a particular social and political orders (action oriented) It differs widely (based on competing traditions of political thought and competing societal order Can ideologies be understood as modern religions? 1. They both have preconditions and assumption 2. Both have fundamental “beliefs” 3. Neither can be proved “right” 4. Both are the basis of action for people Left vs. Right Spectrum Social-democratic Communists -

Conservative Fascist

Liberal

Degree of change Direction of change Method of change

Traditional vs. Contemporary ideologies Traditional - Shaped by the enlightenment o liberalism and socialism (but also anarchism) in support of its values o conservatism and fascism rallying against i - but, what is enlightenment? Contemporary - environmentalism and feminism o less optimistic about offering an overarching explanation of the world - issue oriented

Liberalism

Social Contract: Hobbes vs. Locke - state of nature o people by nature are mostly equal in their ability to harm each other in order to protect their selfish interests due to the lack of resources for everybody. o but, they are also rational in their pursuits Ultimate Authority: it is in their interest to relinquish their rights to the monarch in return for protection - without the protection the life” is nasty, brutish, and short.” - the purpose of government is law and order - as long as people act lawfully, they are free -

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people are not wicked and they all enjoy certain rights: o life o liberty o private property people learn from their experiences and they can govern themselves the purpose of the government is to protect individual liberties and rights people have the right to rebel against an abusive government

Liberal Building Blocks (major ideas)

Classic Liberalism Emphasis on limiting the role of the state to providing - internal and external security - enforcement of property rights also, a moral dimension in that a limited state maximized individual freedom and rewards the who work the hardest New Liberalism - late 1800s, early 1900s - emphasis on social reform o the idea of positive freedoms - state intervention could increase liberty by expanding individual opportunity - the new liberalism dominated the political landscape for much of the 20th century Marxism and the State - Marx argues that the power of the ruling group in capitalist societies is always based on its control of the primary economic resource o the means of production - The capitalist state is always controlled by its economic elite - Classes are based on material status; on who has what - Capitalism has two classes, o the bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (workers) Socialism - challenge to social and economic conditions Socialist parties in the west are not based on Marxism - gradualism - relative economic equality - mixed economy - political pluralism

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liberal-democratic state reformism humanizing capitalism

Key Socialist Principles Generally Optimistic - socialist see human nature as capable of being shaped by social, economic, and political circumstances Equality - Socialists advocate equality of outcome, because they understand inequality to be the result of different positions in a social structure, rather than differences in ability Community - There is an emphasis on cooperation and collective, rather than individual goals Tensions with socialism

Ideologies have roots in philosophic thought but are call to action - Are set of related, generally consistent ideas and beliefs that provide a basis for political action o describe existing order; present vision of what it should be; lay out plan to get there (p.90) - Ideologies reflect historical context in which they emerged o ideologies reflect current conditions - can evolve over time!  different strands Conservatism - tradition - pragmatism - human imperfection - organism o society seen as natural organism

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hierarchy authority private property

The ideological Spectrum

Canadian Party Ideology

Sex - biological XY or XX - male/female - sex based terms Gender - socially constructed roles o masculine/ feminine

o gender based terms Feminism - first wave: 19th -early 20th century o Women’s suffrage  Voting rights - Second wave: 1960s – 1990s o Equality in all things: education, work, pay, dishwashing, etc. - Third wave: 1990s-present o Divers responses to “second wave” feminism o Including but not limited to girl power Different Strands in feminism

Liberal Feminism - Inequality is rooted in the legal and institutional discrimination that denies women complete personhood - For individual woman, how to achieve political and economic equality? o by changing laws and policies to ensure political rights and participation o affirmative action, equal pay o parental benefits, leave Socialist Feminism - economic dependence as the driving force of women’s subjugation to men -

interconnectivity of patriarchy and capitalism together they keep women back class and gender are5 symbiotic what to do?

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o Overthrow capitalism and get rid of family as an economic unit o Pay for domestic work What about the connections between race and class...


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