POL101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Night-Watchman State, Classical Liberalism, Negative And Positive Rights
Document Summary
Religious wars motivated by connection between religion and state power. Liberal solution to wars of religion was secularization of state power - decouple state from official religion. Principle of protection of private property is most important. Rejects idea of redistribution - violates protection of private property. Tensions between equality and freedom - when clashing, freedom is higher in value than equality. Believe in the right of people to choose their own paths and a good life for themselves. Individuals are born free and state have no right to interfere. The right to be left alone and do what they want without interference. Is protected until the point that it runs against another person"s freedom. Mill - only time when gov"t can interfere with freedom is in order to protect other people. Threat to freedom is from interference from the state. Classic liberalists see government in a negative form. Protect individuals in communities from harming each other.
