Core values of the liberal tradition
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The core values of the liberal tradition are based on the belief that individual freedom is paramount in political and social considerations, and that government power should be limited so as to interfere as minimally as possible in that freedom. The trend which this thought took emphasized the freedom of the rich, or those with property, so that "individual freedom" came to mean the freedom of the individual to make money and to protect his property from governmental and other threats. As such, liberalism can be seen as both a political and an economic perspective. It does want to ensure political, social and economic conditions which guarantee the individual the freedom to reach his fullest potential, but that fullest potential is often seen in economic terms. The state, or government, was seen as an inhibiting obstacle to the full expression of economic activities, and the liberal tradition wants that obstacle removed or at least limited as much as possible. Jeremy Bentham was a utilitarian who believed that the role of government was to provide an environment in which the greatest number of people could enjoy the greatest amount of happiness. This approach suggested a democratic government which was elected by the people with their own happiness in mind. Thomas Malthus was also a liberal, but his economic argument against raising wages (because it would hurt the workers and drive them into poverty) seems to offer a conflict to Bentham's liberalism. Benjamin Constant, al
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individual needs protection against great political and economic powers, but that protection must not cripple the economy or the government, lest all suffer further, and especially the weak and poor whom modern liberalism is designed to protect.
The idea of tolerance is a vital element of the liberal tradition. Tolerance here means the lack of or setting aside of prejudice. Prejudice is a means whereby a person or group can justify abusing another person or group on the grounds that the latter is inferior or sub-human in some way, and thus deserves such abuse, or at least does not deserve humane treatment. If such intolerance prevails, it is easier for the rich and the powerful to continue their unjust economic, social and political practices without including liberal reforms to right the inevitable wrongs of the modern society.
Mill saw that only by empowering the poor and weak, especially through the vote, could intolerance be checked, and not simply by asking for tolerance from abusers. The books on birth control are arguments essentially for understanding of another human being's perspective, needs, circumstances, instead of treating others as abstractions or statistics. Similarly, the Tableaux Vivants were designed to hum
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Approximate Word count = 3154
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)
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