The text explores three political philosophies: Confucianism, Contractualism, and Libertarianism. Confucianism, rooted in the teachings of Confucius, emphasizes community and morality, promoting societal harmony and the dismantling of social classes.
Both are rooted in the same beliefs and share the same name
A real life example of liberalism's effect
is the legalization of same sex marriage
John Locke was a philosopher
who had a large part in creating the
fundamentals of a liberal government
-Companies not having more restrictions on minimum wage rates
-Focuses too much on individual rights rather than the interest of the whole community
-Advocates for equal rights for all groups of people
-Promotes access to education for everyone
Socialism
Both promote the idea of society encouraging morals and breaking down social status' to make everyone more equal
Both Utopianism and Socialisms creations are relativity similar in beliefs
A real life example of socialism is how Slovenia is run,
the government describes itself as "state governed by the rule of law and a social state"
Robert Owen was a thinker known as the "Father of British Socialism" who was one of the first people of his time to advocate for this type of governmental rule
-Raises taxes, which in turn makes citizens less likely to want to work
-Difficult for the government to uphold the system because of cost of extra regulations
-Promotes selflessness instead of selfishness
-Reduces poverty
Conservatism
Both hold the belief that there is a 100% "right and wrong" where there should be an agreement on what is acceptable and what is not
A real life example of conservatism occurring
is gun rights being protected in America
Edmund Burke is considered the "founder"
of conservatism, he is known for his beliefs
against royal power which set the foundations
of conservatism
-Resisting change in a changing world
-Is prone to discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals
-Prioritizes personal freedoms such
such as freedom of speech
- Believes in keeping a strong military which
is beneficial for protection
Political Styles
Utopianism
Brook Farm, USA was a community in the
1800's which emulated the same characteristics
of a Utopian structured society where they striven
for social perfectibility
Robert Owen had been one of the first people
to experiment with Utopian style communities
which reflected social equality and equal classes
-Not possible without extreme control and restraints
against people having free will
-Would require everyone to have the same idea of what a Utopia is which is simply not possible
-There would be no fear of crime or illegal activities
-Everyone would live at an equal level (no poverty)
Contractualism
An example of this is torturing another person.
One person may argue that torture is 100% wrong because it's inhumane, while another person may argue that it's okay in cases where is benefits a larger cause than the person being tortured. They would have to come to an agreement of both understanding its inhumane and also necessary.
T.M. Scanlon is the creator of the term "Contractualism". His beliefs are that this concept is a "systematic response to a range of philosophical problems."
-The beliefs in both parties must be the same for the system to work
-There may be grey areas that are not addressed when talking about what is deemed "right" and "wrong"
-It takes in the most important factors of what is considered "right and wrong"
-Allows there to be a solid understanding between parties
Libertarianism
The legalization of Marijuana is an example
of Libertarianism in real life. The use of
marijuana is entirely reliant on a persons own freedom of choice, where they can choose if they would use it or not
Murray Rothbard was an important
political figure to Libertarianism as he had
written many books and teachings with the foundations of this system
-The government would not be liable to protect your
rights, people would be totally reliant on other peoples morality
-Since there would be no laws that would mean the freedom you have is a double edged sword, others who may be less ethically driven have freedom to do whatever they choose with no lawful repercussions
-There would be lower taxes
-Freedom to choose to do what you want
with respect to other people's lives
Confucianism
In Chinese culture its effects are very prevalent
in family structures for example honoring elders
Confucianism originated from the teachings
of the philosopher Confucius where he taught
about community and morality
Disadvantages
-It's too idealistic to expect everyone to be
moral
-Certain branches of Confucianism are rooted
in sexist beliefs that oppress women
Advantages
-Encourages morals which can build
healthy foundations for a society to function on
-Helps to break down the idea of different social classes
