Liberalism

Alternate Visions

Rousseau and Human Nature

Self-Preservation and Commiseration
Free-Will, Perfectabilite, and Imagination Property rights and the emergence of the

social contract More murders, p. 91

A New Social Contract

No citizen will be wealthy enough to buy

another, and none poor enough to sell himself p. 92 The general will as the basis of the a new social contract The general will is not always the majority opinion. The legislator should guide the people toward the general will Participatory government is essential

Questions
Is Rousseau the father of totalitarianism?
Is his form of government practicable? Are we better off in a world like the one

conceived by Rousseau? If so, how do we approach his ideal form of governance?

Jeffersons Self-Evident Truths

The Declaration of Independence, p. 96
Liberal equality and natural rights Happiness replaces Lockes property

Jeffersonian Government
Concerns about the Constitution, p. 97
Empowering the disenfranchised through

land grants Politics at the ward level an essential part of Republican government Jeffersons view of politics in harmony with the ancient Greek conception of politics and citizenship

Purpose of Ward Republics

Check petty tyrants at home
Maintain revolutionary spirit of 1776 Provide a base for General Education

Provide a space where citizens could be

become proficient in the art of politics

Property: Economic and Political Freedom

The earth belongs in usufruct to the

living The dead have neither powers nor rights over it Nineteen year cycle of responsibility creates an interesting cycle of credit Institutionalized revolution

Happiness: The Ultimate Goal

Jefferson worked toward reforming

property laws to move toward greater equality By giving workers land, he would permit them to more effectively negotiate with businesses for better working conditions

Jeffersons View of Human Nature

Jefferson believed in a moral sense as

the foundation of democracy Essential to the happiness of man she laid their foundation therefore in sentiment, not in science. That she gave to all, as necessary to all: this to a few only, as sufficing with a few.

Jeffersonian Politics
Whether no law or too much law

submits man to the greatest evil Wolves over sheep Contrast Jefferson with Madison, p. 105

Individualistic/Alternate Liberalism
Politics
Equality Individuality
Reason
Contentiousness A-partness

Commiseration or moral sense

Moral being Inherently social

Rights Citizenship Government Liberty

Humans Economics

Property as ends
Minimal participation Representative (trustee)

Property as means
Maximum participation Direct democracy

Secondary to authority
Static Class-divided capitalism

More important than authority

developmental One-class simple market

John Dewey and the Liberal Tradition

Political science needs to work through

hypotheses instead of through a search for discreet units such as rights and so on Reject individualistic politics as incorrect face to face communities with symbolic interaction where appropriate

Economics and the Common Man

Eliminate class bifurcation democratic

socialism Undemocratic environmental conditioning as a main impediment to democratic governance Democracy and participation as a commitment to alternative forms of action

Final Thoughts on Liberal Democracy

Capitalist vs. non capitalist
Expansion of franchise facilitated growth

of majoritarian liberalism The U.S. lagged behind because of Madisonian legacy Alternative liberalism equality, participatory democracy, challenges the individualistic vision of liberalism Toleration and Dialogue