Liberty and Political Liberalism Essay

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Liberty and Political Liberalism

The political liberalism of the 17th and 18th centuries was far different than the contemporary conceptualization of liberal politics. In the evolution of modern liberalism, liberalism was once conceived as an absence of coercion by a sovereign. "The heart of liberty is the absence of coercion by others; consequently, the liberal state's commitment to protecting liberty is, essentially, the job of ensuring that citizens do not coerce each other without compelling justification." (Gaus 2010). This stood in direct contrast to the concept of the divine right of kings, which presumed that a leader, by virtue of his power, had the ability to do what he willed in relation to his subjects, without justification, and that the subjects had no right of revolt. Classical liberalism, perhaps in reaction to the once-assumed fiat of sovereigns to tax as they willed and to take property away from subjects as they willed, tended to view liberty as synonymous with property. To be free was to be able to be secure in one's person and home, and to know that neither could be conscripted by the state.

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Hence, Locke's famous assertion about the right to 'life, liberty, and property' as the cornerstones of liberalism.

Modern liberalism takes a different view and tends to stress the value of positive liberties, versus negative liberties. Negative liberties are viewed as 'freedom from' -- that is, freedom from state interference. Positive liberties, in contrast, stress the responsibility of the state to protect certain rights of all human beings and to take a more proactive role in protecting those liberties. 19th century liberals onward have valued the need for "a variety of state policies, encompassing not only the criminal law and enforcement of contracts, but the licensing of professionals, health, safety and fire regulations, banking regulations, commercial infrastructure (roads, harbors and canals) and often encouraged unionization" to ensure that the liberties of citizens to live safe and healthy lives are protected (Gaus 2010). To refuse to fulfill these functions is to ultimately create a less free society, where those without natural advantages will….....

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