Liberalism - key concepts

The concepts

• Classical liberalism (tap to reveal) - The original form of liberalism that values freedom from government interference above all, favouring a minimal state, free markets and individual rights.
• Economic liberalism (tap to reveal) - The belief that economies work best when left largely free from government intervention, with markets setting prices and allocating resources.
• Modern liberalism (tap to reveal) - Modern liberals say that just removing rules and restrictions is not enough to make people truly free. If you are poor or uneducated, you cannot really use your freedom. The state should help people to genuinely be free.Use it: Use modern liberalism to contrast with classical liberalism. Rawls is the key thinker. Useful for questions on the role of the state, the meaning of freedom, and the relationship between liberalism and equality.
• Social liberalism (tap to reveal) - The form of liberalism that accepts an active role for the state in helping individuals to be truly free by removing poverty and providing education and healthcare.
• Categorical imperative (tap to reveal) - Kant's moral rule that you should only act in a way you would be happy for everyone in the world to act. If it would be wrong for everyone to do it, it is wrong for you to do it too.
• Developmental individualism (tap to reveal) - The modern liberal idea that freedom means more than just being left alone - it means having the opportunity to grow and develop as a person.
• Egoistical individualism (tap to reveal) - The classical liberal idea that individuals are naturally self-interested, and that this drive is something to be respected and protected.
• Enabling state (tap to reveal) - A larger government role that helps people achieve their potential, for example through education, healthcare, and welfare support.
• Enlightenment (philosophical) (tap to reveal) - The major intellectual movement of the 1600s and 1700s that said reason and science, not tradition or religion, should guide how society is organised. It laid the foundations for modern liberal democracy.
• Equality of opportunity (tap to reveal) - The idea that everyone should have a fair chance to succeed in life, even if the outcomes will still differ depending on talent and effort.
• Formal equality (tap to reveal) - The idea that everyone should be treated equally in the eyes of the law and have the same political rights, such as the right to vote.
• Founding equality (tap to reveal) - The idea that all human beings are born with equal worth and should have the same basic rights, regardless of background.
• Freedom of expression (tap to reveal) - The right to express your views, opinions and ideas freely without the government stopping or punishing you for doing so.
• Freedom of speech (tap to reveal) - The right to say what you think without being silenced or punished by the state.
• Harm principle (tap to reveal) - John Stuart Mill's idea that people should be free to do as they wish, as long as their actions do not harm others.
• Inalienable rights (tap to reveal) - Rights that belong to every person by nature and cannot be taken away by any government or authority, such as life, liberty and property.
• Individualism (tap to reveal) - The belief that individuals, not groups or society, are the most important unit in politics, and that personal freedom and individual rights should come first.
• Keynesianism (tap to reveal) - The economic theory that governments should spend and invest during recessions to boost the economy, rather than cutting back.