Political Science 2231E Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Liberal Democracy, Classical Liberalism, Negative Liberty
14 Jan 2017
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Canada’s Liberal-Democratic Foundations
Major Questions:
1. What is an ideology?
Specific kind of theory – have three basic characteristics – 1) incorporates
statement of values and goals which represent the ideal or the good society –
ideologies are normative and prescriptive (what the good society should look
like – what principles and ends of the good society) 2) set out means by which
values and goals are achieved – how to put the vision of a good society into
practice – theories that give us an action plan 3) tries to mobilize individuals
around the theory – goals of the good society, try to get people to take up the
action plan – ex. Marx calls upon proletariat for a revolution
Ex. Communism, Socialism, Liberalism
2. What does the concept of democracy entail?
• Rule of the people, consent of the governed, citizens choose the laws under which
they are governed
• Canada is a liberal democracy – different from democracy
• Liberalism steps in to temper problems of democracy
• By addressing the tyranny of the majority – the majority can make democratic
decisions that are very unfair – arbitrarily discriminate against a class of people
• Liberalism – establishes basic standards of justice and fairness – affording
rights to individuals to protect them from unchecked majority
3. What is the fundamental value of liberalism, and, therefore, of the Canadian
political system? Freedom, equality, justice
• Most important core value is freedom – or liberty – unique beings that humans are –
we possess the capacity for reason – reason and rationality can prevail over passion
and drive
• Most important thing we can do with out capacity of rationality is to make
judgements about how to live our lives
• Unique capacity of critical protection has to be protected and allowed to flourish –
freedom to achieve goals, no interference from others
• Choosing our own conceptions of the good life – is called self-actualization and is
really important to liberals
• Self actualization requires liberalism
• BUT they don’t agree what freedom is
4. What is classical liberalism and what are its guiding principles?
• Earliest form of liberalism
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• 1600s England
• freedom most important value of liberalism
• freedom is defined in negative terms – lack of interference, absence of coercion
“freedom from” the wider your scope of non-interference, the greater your freedom
individuals be left alone to create and pursue their own conception of the good
without interference of others or the state – freedom from regulation
• State:
• The state is a necessary evil
• You need it for protection from others – we need to make laws – make
sure that there is order
• The state is the bigger threat than your neighbour
• Irony: on the one hand, we need state to protect us from other citizens, but
we also need protection from state interest > SO the limited state – role of
the state has to be contained – ideal state is the smallest you can possibly
have
• To maximize freedom, you have to limit the reach of the state
• Small, constrained state to regulate as little as possible
• Public-private distinction
• Society is comprised of these two realms
• Public – state authority
• Private – market economy, family, civil society – non-state
institutions, voluntary associations (church, clubs) – private realm is
where self actualization occurs – SO, the state should not tread here
• Rights against the state – basic rights to erect a wall between state
and citizen, public and private, to keep the state out from interfering
– boundaries that protect citizens from the state
• Relationship between state and economy is the most controversial aspect of
liberalism – lots of disagreement
• Classical freedom – most important part of freedom is economic
• Classical liberalism > materialism = happiness, limit state regulation –
laissez-faire capitalism, state stays out as much as possible – market
activates as unregulated as possible
• States can only intrude when: otherwise stay out of the market
• Protect wealthy property rights, ensure orderly functioning of the
market, contracts
• 2) Equality of right – formal equality
• All individual citizens enjoy a universal scheme of political and civil rights –
does not protect rights of groups – the focus is on the individual, no group-
based distinctions
• State policies that seek to promote equality conflicts with freedom – violates
limited freedom, limited state
• Treat individual citizens alike
• 3) Justice
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