POLI 101: September 3, Lecture #4: Liberalism and its Critics

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1 POLI 101: September 3, 2014 Lecture #4: Liberalism and its Critics

2 John Stuart Mill English philosopher and economist Marries Harriet Taylor in 1851 On Liberty (1859) The Subjection of Women (1869) Was the first person in Parliament to call for women s right to vote

3 On Liberty Things to understand about On Liberty Tyranny of the Majority Harm Principle Paternalism Free Speech and Discussion

4 The Tyranny of the Majority And in general, those who have been in advance of society in thought and feeling, have left this condition of things unassailed in principle, however they may have come into conflict with it in some of its details. They have occupied themselves rather in inquiring what things society ought to like or dislike, than in questioning whether its likings or dislikings should be a law to individuals.

5 Freedom of Thought and Discussion Why free thought, speech, and discussion: Humans can be wrong. Free speech can correct that. Mostly false beliefs can have a grain of truth. Discussion of even falsehoods forces people to justify rather than accept dogma Dissent encourages critical thinking and individuality.

6 Human Nature Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing. -John Stuart Mill

7 Romantic Liberalism

8 Out of the crooked timber of humanity...

9 The Harm Principle...the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right. -John Stuart Mill

10 Individuals create Society The worth of a State, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it;... a State which dwarfs its men, in order that they may be more docile instruments in its hands even for beneficial purposes will find that with small men no great thing can really be accomplished; and that the perfection of machinery to which it has sacrificed everything will in the end avail it nothing, for want of the vital power which, in order that the machine might work more smoothly, it has preferred to banish. -John Stuart Mill

11 Liberal Principles People must be maximally responsible for their own actions and circumstances Liberals see politics as choice As many choices as possible should be kept private The sphere of politics should be limited Champion: John Stuart Mill

12 Personal Ownership and Property Millian liberalism gives us a sense of what it means to own oneself Right to think, speak, believe, express as one likes. Self-interest is a valid liberal value Liberalism is also concerned with ones ability to own property Property is an extension of ones person, and the protection of property is an important liberal value. Individualism in economic interactions becomes a hallmark of liberal ideology. Why?

13 Competitive States The states of Europe found themselves in something like a constant state of war with other states. To secure power and plenty, European states sought to gain power over other states. Commerce and trade as a source of power Guided by mercantilism

14 Mercantilism In the 17 th and 18 th centuries economic thought and practice were carried out according to principles of mercantilism. Economy controlled and guided by the state in order to gain power over other states. States sought to gain power through: Trade surplus Accumulation of precious metals High tariffs Central guidance of the economy parallels central guidance of individuals lives.

15 Mercantilism Trade is competitive Exports are good Imports are bad Politics drove economics States competed with one another for colonies and trading rights; they sought to exclude each other Associated wealth with money/gold, which they assumed was of a fixed quantity One man s gain is another man s loss

16 Power and Plenty Wealth is power and power is wealth. -Thomas Hobbes The great object of the political economy of every country, is to increase the riches and power of that country. -Adam Smith

17 Adam Smith Scottish Social Philosopher The Wealth of Nations (1776) Father of Classical Economics

18 Adam Smith Little else is required to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice -Adam Smith

19 The Passions and the Interests Increasing acceptance of self-interest as a legitimate motive of human action The challenge of the capitalist Who are the bourgeoisie? They are the middle-class broadly defined. They are shopkeepers, businessmen, industrialists, and bankers. They are people who have labored and saved and gained ownership over some part of the means of production (capital). They are the capitalists

20 The Bourgeois You might translate bourgeoisie as the Middle- Class or as the capitalists. The owners of capital and its related culture The word derives from Old French burgeis meaning walled city Neither workers nor aristocratic landlords There are the haute bourgeoisie and the petite bourgeoisie During the 17 th and 18 th centuries, the bourgeoisie battle to end feudal privileges and then later to prevent worker uprisings

21 Bourgeois Values The middle-class bourgeoisie push for constitutional government based on natural right. Political values: No privileges Personal liberty Free trade Protections to private property Personal values: Business ethic of self-interest rather than honor Work hard and delay gratification Conventional tastes and mores The sort of people who are shocked by modern art and tattoos

22 The Domestic Life

23 The Division of Labor The parable of the pin factory Example from Wealth of Nations Specialization leads to industriousness Expertise leads to innovation Skilled craftsmen become unskilled assemblers

24 The Profit Motive According to Adam Smith, the price system driven by supply and demand acts most efficiently to allocate resources within the economy. The price system guides business to produce what people want Shoes and hats Demand for workers The benefits of competition Self-regulation

25 The Invisible Hand It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest Self-regarding people can act collectively for the good of all by looking to their own business and responding to profit. Liberal selfishness is beneficial

26 Laissez faire The best policy for governments is to leave the economy alone. Laissez fairemeans to let it be

27 Problems of the Free Market But! There are some reasons for the government to get involved Monopolies Cartels A nation of shopkeepers to a nation of dumb automatons Government action needed to overcome these

28 Comparative Advantage English Cloth and Portuguese Wine The English and the Portuguese will both be better off if they concentrate on what they do best and then trade. This is David Ricardo s law of comparative advantage. Today, Americans trade Boeing airplanes, Hollywood movies, and Midwestern wheat for German cars and chemicals.

29 Free Trade Historically, the British pushed other countries to engage in free trade. British manufacturing developed rapidly in the 19 th century, and England became known as the workshop of the world. Germany and the United States industrialized later, but would pass Britain by the late 19 th century to become the premier industrial economies of the world.

30 Consumer Society

31 Music on the Tuileries

32 The Railway Bridge

33 Boating

34 Rain, Steam, and Speed

35 The Crystal Palace

36 Gare Saint-Lazare

37 Brooklyn Bridge

38 The Great Eastern

39 Liberal Principles Individuals have rights that must be respected Among those rights are the right to: Self-expression Conscience Property Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Governments ought to limit themselves to protecting those rights. Harm-Principle