Liberalism And Ligalitarianism - 1318 Words

Politics is often discussed on the basis or right and wrong, left and right, and is riddled with false dichotomies, when it really is a much more vivid and complex spectrum than that. There are many different systems of governments and competing ideologies, that are further then divided in their leanings and priorities. Of the first ideologies, Liberalism, is also subcategorized into different interpretations based on how much of liberty is attainable and a governmental presence there should be. It is divided into Classical Liberalism, Social Darwinism, Egalitarian Liberalism, Libertarianism, and Libertarian Anarchism. The reason there is much contention within Liberalism as an ideology on its own, is because all of these factions idealize†¦show more content†¦On the one hand, with the emergence of the nation-state and theories of sovereignty in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, ideas of a distinctly public realm began to crystallize. On the other hand, in reaction to the claims of monarchs and, later, parliaments to the unrestrained power to make law, there developed a countervailing effort to stake out distinctively private spheres free from the encroaching power of the state. Natural rights theories were elaborated in the seventeenth century for the purpose of setting limits on state power, both over property and religious conscience(3). Many philosophers such as Locke, Miller, and Paine, and Kant argue for these rights due to the fact that there was a great social awakening and a growing urge to question the legitimacy of leadership. On these basis stood the foundation of classical liberalism. Classical Liberalism prioritizes above all things complete and total individual liberty. Believers in Classical Liberalism assert that it must be served in completeness because any lack of it creates citizens that are willingly dependent on the government. It is imperative to understand that Classical Liberalism does not call for complete anarchy or even no government at all like Libertarian Anarchists do, but rather a small government. Thomas Paine describes this idea as â€Å"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst