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In reaction to the medieval ideas of ascribed status and religious conformity comes Liberalism. The basic idea of which is to have a society whose members are free to pursue their own ideas and interests with as little interference as possible (Ball and Dagger, Liberalism Introduction p. 65). Ideas on how to get there have been a point of argument since liberalism began. Many writers, theorists, and economists have studied and given ideas of what liberty is and how to ensure it. Take Thomas Hobbes for example. He saw liberty as "the absence of external impediments" (the State of Nature and the Basis of Obligation, p. 71). But he also believed that every one should posses certain rights to basic freedoms. Adam Smith, another philosopher agreed with this theory of a "welfare" type of system and the freedom to trade freely. He believed in mankind working to contribute to the greater good and saw liberty in guaranteeing that trading was as unrestricted as possible. He also saw private profit as good for the public. (Private profit, Pubic good, p. 102) Still other thinkers were more community or society minded than this. Thomas Paine spoke of government as being a necessary evil. He wanted elected officials to work for the
Locke believed in society first and the individual secondly. Mills makes a third statement that a freedom to unite for any reason not involving harm to others should be in place. Those writings are John Stewart Mills' "Liberty and Individuality" and John Locke's "Toleration and Government". "Nor can any such power be vested in the magistrate by the people. What does that mean? It means that telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say and that telling us what to do cannot be far behind. betterment of society though new contracts for each generation. Secondly he spoke of the liberty to live as one sees fit as long as it does not harm others, even if others find it foolish. In "Liberty and Individuality" Mills develops these ideas very clearly. Rights such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of Independence of the United States, p. In this article Friedman states that increased governmental spending is a loss of freedom (004). This type of thought control for unpopular speech is an insult to the constitution. But within days he was forced to publicly apologize and resign. (Government, Rights, and the Bonds between Generations, p.
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Acceptance Essays
