Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Brian Barry, Toleration, Ascribed Status
3 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
The fifteenth lecture is the first of two lectures on liberalism, the first of the three great ideologies of the modern age. This is accurate but not very informative, because all ideologies favour their own interpretation of liberty. The political theorist brian barry has said that early liberal states promoted three institutional recommendations: religious toleration, freedom of the press, and the abolition of servile social status. These were related to three ideas: that no religious dogma can reasonably be held with certainty, that every doctrine should be open to critical scrutiny, and that all human beings are fundamentally equal. Liberals have tended to view humans as rational, self-interested beings entitled to equality of opportunity and the freedom to live as they choose. We give an outline of some key features of pre-liberal medieval. We discuss the protestant reformation, with its attack on church corruption and priestly authority and, later, an emphasis on resistance, freedom of conscience, and religious toleration.
