Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Communitarianism, Atomism, Individualism
4 Sep 2017
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Individuals generally know best what will make them happy: making choices exercises our distinctively human capacities (cid:858)experi(cid:373)e(cid:374)ts of li(cid:448)i(cid:374)g(cid:859) as exa(cid:373)ples to (cid:271)e follo(cid:449)ed. Form our thought and character freely and reflectibely. Make our plan of life our own. Maybe liberty is intrinsically valuable: comparable to enjoyment. For mill, liberty is necessary for individual self-realization. Sex in public is offensive, but not necessarily harmful to others. These acts may be restricted because they are offences against decency. Liberals wrongly think we can detach ourselves from current social practices. We are not isolated atoms: our sense of ourselves comes from society. But we can question received views, even if we cant question all of them at the same time. Only harm to others and offences against decency limit liberty. Challe(cid:374)ge the idea of the (cid:862)(cid:374)or(cid:373)al(cid:863) (cid:272)itize(cid:374) Assimilation: forcing compliance with majority norms and practices. Demand for a more inclusive understanding of citizenship.
